THE FANDOM ZONE 343: "The Northern Star" Is Up!

 
"Do you try to be abrasive? Is it part of your tradecraft?"
"I am what I am, Mrs. Fisk."
"I doubt that very much."
-- Vanessa Fisk and Mr. Charles, Daredevil: Born Again -- "The Northern Star"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "The Northern Star", the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, and introducing Matthew Lillard as Mr. Charles!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik's Montreal Canadiens beating my Columbus Blue Jackets, Mr. Charles being the maneuver from Inception, Matthew Lillard as Bill Hastings on Twin Peaks: The Return, some comics background on Daredevil's black costume, the black costume being representative of Matt succumbing to his darker urges, the Max Headroom signal hijacking incident from 1987, wondering when the payoff for Daredevil leaving a ticking watch in a munitions crate will happen, Karen's sly reference to Jessica Jones, the Punisher not getting into a romantic relationship with Karen, Mayor Fisk spinning the sinking of the Northern Star as "domestic terrorism", Attorney General Severud suddenly pledging his support to Mayor Fisk after a call from Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, wondering how long the alliance between Mayor Fisk and Valentina will last, Heather intentionally tanking the questionnaire for the Swordsman, Matt feeling the only way he can fight Fisk is as a full-time vigilante, the "Mayor Kingpin" hacks of the BB Report being very similar to the Max Headroom signal jiacking incident, the Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) being an obvious metaphor for ICE, the Fisks not appreciating Mr. Charles' abrasive behavior, wondering if BB Urich is the one under the "Mayor Kingpin" mask, Daredevil getting distracted during a fight with the AVTF when Cherry starts having a heart attack, Bullseye saving Daredevil's life, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fanmail from Jesse Jackson, discussing two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again next week, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Show your Fandom Zone fandom by posting a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Shoot the Moon" and "The Scales & The Sword", the second and third episodes of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, Wilson Bethel as Bullseye/Benjamin Poindexter, and Tony Dalton as Swordsman/Jack Duquesne!

DRUNK CINEMA 095: "Harold and Maude" Is Up!

 
"You sure have a way with people."
"Well, they're my species!"
-- Harold Chasen and Maude Chardin, Harold and Maude

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 Harold and Maude, the 1971 romantic dark comedy directed by Hal Ashby, featuring Bud Cort as Harold Parker, Ruth Gordon as Maude Chardin, Vivian Pickles as Mrs. Chasen, and Charles Tyner as General Victor Ball!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like Xan meeting Griffin Dunne and now having autographs from all of her hall passes, Xan showing restraint at HorrorHound 2026, Xan wanting to pay tribute to Bud Cort, the movie But I'm a Cheerleader, Bud Cort as The Toyman in Superman: The Animated Series, this movie needing a trigger warning, Hal Ashby being a counterculture director, the first Rolling Stones album I bought, Ruth Gordon as Ma Boggs in Every Which Way but Loose and in the Columbo episode "Try and Catch Me", Maude teaching Harold about life while Harold focuses on death, Cyril Cusack turning down the role of the First Doctor on Doctor Who, Xan panic-buying THC beverages in Ohio before it became illegal, not being able to find out how much this movie made in box office, my dislike of Cat Stevens' music, Harold's mom tuning out Harold's fake suicides, Xan not liking Bob Dylan, Tom Skerritt as the motorcycle officer who stops Maude twice, Harold scaring away his computer dates, wondering why Harold didn't plan how he was going to get back home after sending his car over a cliff, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski and Dave Proctor, Xan and I picking The Terminator as our next movie on the fly, 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 four weeks as Xan and I watch The Terminator, the 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, introducing Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator and Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, with Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese and Paul Winfield as Lt. Ed Traxler!

THE FANDOM ZONE 342: "Yucca Valley" Is Up!

 
"I'm gonna let you take the fall, Slattery, but my eyes are on Simon."
"I do not know what the hell you are talking about, you dolt."
"Drop the act."
"Slattery was the act. Get it through your thick skull. I have always been The Mandarin, and you never saw me coming."
-- Agent Cleary and Trevor Slattery (as The Mandarin), Wonder Man -- "Yucca Valley"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Yucca Valley", the Season 1 finale of Wonder Man, featuring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, Zlatko Burić as Von Kovak, and Arian Moayed as Agent Cleary!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like celebrating 11 years of The Fandom Zone Podcast, whether Wonder Man Season 1 stuck the landing, the series being about the friendship between Simon and Trevor, Wonder Man being more of a drama series than a superhero series, some comics background on The Mandarin, the two homages to Wonder Man super-suits from the comics, Simon's father Sanford encouraging Simon to use his talent to become an actor, Simon panicking over the explosion on the studio lot, Trevor assuming the role of The Mandarin once again to protect Simon's future, Trevor telling Agent Cleary that Slattery was the performance, another example of Simon's self-loathing, our being surprised that Trevor assumed the Mandarin role once again, Von Kovak telling Simon to channel everything he's feeling about Trevor into his Wonder Man performance, wanting to see a Wonder Man (2026) movie trailer, not knowing if Wonder Man (2026) was a box office success, whether Simon invited his ex-girlfriend to the Wonder Man (2026) premiere, Simon admitting that having dinner with Chuck Eastman's family is weird, initially wondering where the episode was going with the Chuck Eastman thing, Simon anonymously paying a generous amount of money to the Eastmans to get them out of their financial debt, wishing we would've had a post-credits scene, Trevor immediately asking Simon who replaced him in the movie, the finale bringing the season full circle by using Harry Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'" from Midnight Cowboy, hoping this series encourages Marvel Studios to step outside their formula more often, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fanmail by Jesse Jackson and Dave Proctor, next week's discussion of the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 premiere, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Show your Fandom Zone fandom by posting a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I discuss "The Northern Star", the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, and introducing Matthew Lillard as Mr. Charles!

THE FANDOM ZONE 341: "Kathy Friedman" Is Up!

 
"You work on being more charming, and I find it helpful to use people's names. You know, ask them about themselves?"
"That kind of bullshit actually works?"
"Yeah, you'd be amazed."
-- Trevor Slattery and Simon Williams, Wonder Man -- "Kathy Friedman"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Kathy Friedman", the seventh episode of Wonder Man Season 1, featuring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, Zlatko Burić as Von Kovak, and Lauren Weedman as Kathy Friedman!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like waiting for the penny to drop with Trevor and Simon, the episode's conflict being about trust instead of action, some background on The New York Times newspaper, the flashback where Simon's father Sanford Williams takes Simon to see the original Wonder Man movie to help get over being bullied, why superhero and sci-fi movies mean just as much as serious drama films, Simon's father being Simon's hero, the temptation of fame starting to creep into Simon's life, Simon and Trevor looking out for one another's interests during the production, Janelle Jackson and her team getting annoyed with Trevor advising Simon not to take all of the offers being thrown at him, Simon being terrified of investigative reporter Kathy Friedman wanting to profile Trevor and him, Simon reconnecting with Vivian to find out what she told Kathy, Simon being surprised that Vivian knew he has superpowers, Kathy revealing that Trevor was her real target instead of Simon, Simon finally learning that Trevor was collecting information on him for the Department of Damage Control, Hans Landa's interrogation at the beginning of Inglourious Basterds, Simon being overcome with rage by Trevor's betrayal and destroying the Wonder Man film set, Nik's theory on how Simon gets out of the cliffhanger ending, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fanmail by Jesse Jackson and Dave Proctor, next episode's revelation of a very big secret, the upcoming Wonder Man season finale, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Show your Fandom Zone fandom by posting a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Yucca Valley", the Season 1 finale of Wonder Man, featuring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, Zlatko Burić as Von Kovak, and Arian Moayed as Agent Cleary!

DRUNK CINEMA 094: "This Is Spinal Tap" Is Up!

 
"What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
"Put it up to eleven."
"Eleven, exactly. One louder."
"Why don't you just make ten louder, and make ten be the top number, and make that a little louder?"
"[Pauses] These go to eleven."
-- Nigel Tufnel and Marty DiBergi, This Is Spinal Tap

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 pay tribute to Rob Reiner as we watch This Is Spinal Tap, the 1984 mockumentary comedy directed by Rob Reiner, featuring Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins, Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel, and Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like Xan enjoying a meal before our podcast, the tragic murder of Rob and Michele Reiner, the sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, Michael McKean in Used Cars and Clue, Annette O'Toole being the definitive Martha Kent, Christopher Guest as Count Tyrone Rugen in The Princess Bride, Harry Shearer being a core voice actor on The Simpsons, June Chadwick as Lydia on V: The Series, Spinal Tap and The Rutles originating the rock mockumentary genre, the album Smell the Glove, so much of the script being ad-libbed, the previous band names for Spinal Tap, Patrick Macnee as John Steed in The Avengers, Dana Carvey and Billy Crystal as mime waiters, the importance of Sears and K-Mart back in the day, the origin of the phrase "turning it up to eleven", every late '60s group having a sitar, "Stonehenge" being a banger of a song, the latest Spinal Tap drummer spontaneously combusting, new Drunk Mail from Dave Proctor, Xan wanting to pay tribute to the late Bud Cort, 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 Harold and Maude, the 1971 romantic dark comedy directed by Hal Ashby, featuring Bud Cort as Harold Parker, Ruth Gordon as Maude Chardin, Vivian Pickles as Mrs. Chasen, and Charles Tyner as General Victor Ball!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 366: "Day of the Daleks" Is Up!

 
"I can assure you that this planet has never been more efficiently, more economically run. People have never been happier or more prosperous."
"Then why do you need so many people to keep them under control? Don't they like being happy and prosperous?"
-- The Controller and the Third Doctor, Doctor Who: "Day 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 "Day of the Daleks", the first serial from Doctor Who Season 9 in 1972, featuring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, Katy Manning as Jo Grant, Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier, and Aubrey Woods as the Controller!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse getting tickets for Bruce Springsteen's new tour, Jesse's reaction to watching "Day of the Daleks" for the first time, the story premise of "Day of the Daleks" being very similar to James Cameron's film The Terminator, Aubrey Woods as Bill the Candy Store Owner in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, "Day of the Daleks" being the first Dalek serial in color, the serial originally being revolved around the Ogrons instead of the Daleks, why Jon Pertwee never liked the Daleks, director Paul Bernard refusing to film the bookend scene for the end of Part Four where the Third Doctor and Jo are working on the Doctor's TARDIS console and encounter their future selves, the Season 9 blu-ray set having more a far more impressive assault by the Daleks on the house where Sir Reginald was, rarely getting to see Jo's skills in escapology, the scene where the Doctor takes a futuristic gun and kills an Ogron with it, the Doctor not being impressed when told he's in the future, the Doctor's frustration with Jo buying into the Controller's propaganda, the plot twist of Sir Reginald not being the cause of the Daleks taking over Earth, Mike Yates being a dick by taking the sandwich that Jo prepared for Sgt. Benton, wanting to see the Brigadier give the Third Doctor a job performance review, the Brigadier finally having enough of Sir Reginald's bullshit, Shura's sacrifice to change the future, the nods to William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, the Daleks' plan to strip mine Earth for resources to support the Dalek army, the Controller getting a redemption arc, our favorite quotes from the serial, the disappointing chase sequence where the Doctor and Jo are on a motorized tricycle, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Dave Proctor, Sandi from Oregon and Holly Mac, Jesse being such a wonderful podcast partner, 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 are joined by special guest Holly Mac to discuss "The God Complex", the eleventh episode from Doctor Who Series 6 in 2011, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, and David Walliams as Gibbis!

THE FANDOM ZONE 340: "Callback" Is Up!

 
"The world is going to fall in love with the two of you. We are going to make the last movie on Earth because no one else will have the balls to make another."
-- Von Kovak to Trevor Slattery and Simon Williams, Wonder Man -- "Callback"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Callback", the sixth episode of Wonder Man, featuring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, Zlatko Burić as Von Kovak, and Arian Moayed as Agent Cleary!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like my getting a taste of springtime, Simon's emotional whiplash, the episode being transitional, watching Simon twist in the wind, how I got into Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Midnight Special" being a great choice to open Von Kovak's Wonder Man film, some background on the movie Pretty Woman, seeing the Mandarin audition tape, the Mandarin being Trevor's most important role, Trevor finding the Mandarin character, Simon overanalyzing a pair of shoes and falling into his own character flaws, Von Kovak showing off his "Wall of Inspiration", Simon freaking out by not being paired with Trevor, Simon disappointing Von Kovak by reenacting a scene from Pretty Woman, the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Nik being shocked when Simon punched through Richard's face, the effective dream sequence fakeout, Trevor talking Simon down and giving him advice to be himself without letting his powers define him, Simon and Trevor thinking they both failed the final audition, Trevor getting scooped up by Damage Control mere seconds after Simon drops him off at the Talmadge, my preference for Robert Palmer over Chaka Khan, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fanmail by Jesse Jackson and Dave Proctor, next episode's revelation of a very big secret, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Show your Fandom Zone fandom by posting a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Kathy Friedman", the seventh episode of Wonder Man, featuring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, Zlatko Burić as Von Kovak, and Lauren Weedman as Kathy Friedman!