GHOSTWOOD 093: "The Straight Story" Is Up!

 
"Well, they may be mad.  I don't think they're mad enough to want to lose you, or your little problem."
"I don't know about that."
"Well, of course, neither do I, but a warm bed and a roof sounds a mite better than eating a hot dog on a stick with an old geezer that's travelling on a lawnmower."
-- Alvin Straight and Crystal, The Straight Story

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  In this episode, we discuss The Straight Story, the 1999 biographical road drama film directed by David Lynch, starring Richard Farnsworth as Alvin Straight, Sissy Spacek as Rose Straight, Everett McGill as Tom, and Harry Dean Stanton as Lyle Straight!

LET'S ROCK!

In this episode, Xan and I discuss things like David Lynch directing a G-rated movie released by Disney, David Lynch's love of slow-moving old people and people hanging out in lawn chairs, The Station Agent, firefighter training being a spectator sport, Alvin giving advice to people he meets, Alvin going through all the trouble to drive a lawnmower across Iowa to see his brother instead of taking the bus or letting someone else drive him there, Alvin's white privilege, Alvin's awkward moment of eating deer in front of deer statues, Xan not being able to eat bacon in front of Piglet at Disney World, Harry Dean Stanton making Xan cry, Sissy Spacek being David Lynch's sister-in-law at one time, ranking Burt Reynolds movies, Ohio's opioid crisis, Xan being weirded out that she will never see her own skeleton, Alvin auditioning to be a Woodsman, what happened to Alvin after reuniting with his brother, Xan's chair dying, Xan getting news fatigue from the O.J. trial, the greatness of Battle Royale, Hollywood's patronizing elitism towards middle America, Xan returning to Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast, the Superman & Lois pilot, Xan and I being able to have a two-hour conversation about anything, my trying to find 30 minutes in my schedule to watch The Muppet Show, 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
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Be sure to come back in two weeks for Episode 094, as Xan and I discuss "The Lester Guy Show", the first episode of On the Air from 1992, directed by David Lynch and featuring Ian Buchanan as Lester Guy, Miguel Ferrer as Bud Budwaller, David L. Lander as Valdja Gochktch, and Tracey Walter as Billy "Blinky" Watts!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 220: "The Ultimate Foe" Is Up!

 
"In all my travelling throughout the universe, I have battled against evil, against power-mad conspirators.  I should have stayed here!  The oldest civilization -- decadent, degenerate, and rotten to the core!  Power-mad conspirators, Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen -- they're still in the nursery compared to us!  Ten million years of absolute power...That's what it takes to be really corrupt."
-- The Sixth Doctor, Doctor Who: "The Ultimate Foe"

Hello again, everyone!  I'm back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  In this episode, my Partner in Time Jesse Jackson and I are joined by special guest companion Rachel Frend from The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast to discuss "The Ultimate Foe", the fourth and final serial from Doctor Who Season 23 in 1986, Parts Thirteen & Fourteen of "The Trial of a Time Lord", featuring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Bonnie Langford as Melanie "Mel" Bush, Michael Jayston as the Valeyard, and the return of Anthony Ainley as the Third Master and Tony Selby as Sabalom Glitz!

In this episode, Jesse, Rachel and I discuss things like Rachel being offered Colin Baker's fingernail clippings, Jesse giving an update on Texas losing power and water after a winter storm, always having time to mock Ted Cruz, my appreciation to Christine Peruski for sending me a pack of Jammie Dodgers, the Keeper of the Matrix failing upward, the death of Robert Holmes and Eric Saward quitting, Saward's proposed cliffhanger of having the Sixth Doctor and the Valeyard tumbling through the Matrix and fighting in an eternal battle, Pip and Jane Baker being brought in to salvage the end of Season 23, Colin Baker taking responsibility for Peri not really dying at the end of "Mindwarp", Big Finish's conclusion to the Sixth Doctor era Doctor Who: The Last Adventure, Colin Baker being fired by the BBC and refusing to come back for a final four-part story that would feature a proper regeneration, Jesse still not understanding the Valeyard after two viewings, my theory that the Valeyard could be the Metacrisis Doctor from "Journey's End", the Valeyard's plan to become 100% Bad Guy, wanting the Master to be watching the trial while eating popcorn, Glitz's greed keeping him from being hypnotized by the Master, the Master having professional jealousy of the Valeyard, wondering why the Doctor was paired with Glitz in this story instead of Mel, the politics of the Master broadcasting the trial to Gallifrey in the hope of causing a revolt against the High Council, the Inquisitor asking the Doctor to become Lord President again, the Valeyard popping up at the end, our favorite quotes of the episode, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new feedback from Holly Mac and Dave Proctor, Jesse having a Skype glitch, Jesse getting competition from Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama's podcast, the oddest story that Doctor Who has ever done, 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
Stitcher -- 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 with our current logo, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy new shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space!  Or your could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

And hey, if you'd like to pick up our classic logo Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can also find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as Jesse and I are joined by my Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast and Drunk Cinema co-host Xan Sprouse discuss "Ghost Light", the second serial from Doctor Who Season 26 in 1989, featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Dorothy "Ace" McShane, Ian Hogg as Josiah Smith, and John Hallam as Light!

SUPERMAN Reboot Film in Development with Ta-Nehisi Coates Writing, J.J. Abrams Producing

 
2021 is becoming quite the super year for the Man of Steel.

Less than a week after the well-received premiere of The CW series Superman & Lois, Deadline has confirmed reports that a new Superman film reboot is in the works with comics writer, journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates writing and J.J. Abrams producing under his Bad Robot production company.

According to the article, Hannah Minghella will serve as producer and there are details yet regarding the plot or casting despite reports of Man of Steel and Justice League actor Henry Cavill wanting to reprise his role as Superman/Clark Kent.

Back in November 2019, Variety reported that there had been discussions with Abrams, whose company Bad Robot signed a massive first-look deal with Warner Bros., and there was a meeting with Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan earlier in the year with Jordan pitching his vision for Superman.

Coates, 45, is the current writer of Black Panther and Captain America for Marvel Comics and is the author of the non-fiction books The Beautiful Struggle, Between the World and Me, and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy.  His first fiction novel, The Water Dancer, was published in 2019.

Abrams, 54, previously directed the films Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible III, and Super 8.  In addition, he created the ABC series Alias, and co-created the television series Felicity, Lost, and Fringe.  Currently, Abrams is working on a TV series based on DC Comics' Justice League Dark for HBO Max.

In 2004, Abrams wrote the screenplay for Superman: Flyby, a Superman origin story that included Krypton besieged by a civil war between Jor-El and his corrupt brother, Kata-Zor (not Zor-El). Before Kata-Zor sentences Jor-El to prison, Kal-El is launched to Earth to fulfill a prophecy. Adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, he forms a romance with Lois Lane in the Daily Planet.  However, Lois is more concerned with exposing Lex Luthor, written as a government agent obsessed with UFO phenomena.  Clark reveals himself to the world as Superman, bringing Kata-Zor’s son, Ty-Zor, and three other Kryptonians to Earth.  Superman is defeated and killed, and visits Jor-El (who committed suicide on Krypton while in prison) in Kryptonian heaven.  Resurrected, he returns to Earth and defeats the four Kryptonians, while the script ends with Superman off to Krypton, leaving a cliffhanger for a sequel.

THE FANDOM ZONE 206: "Breaking the Fourth Wall" Is Up!

 
"See?  See?  That's where you and Hayward differ.  He's gonna burn Westview to the ground just to get what he wants.  Don't let him make you the villain."
"Maybe I already am."
-- Captain Monica Rambeau and Wanda Maximoff, WandaVision: "Breaking the Fourth Wall"

Hello again, everyone!  It's time for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, my co-hosts Jesse Jackson, DJ Nik and I discuss "Breaking the Fourth Wall", the seventh episode of the Disney+ series WandaVision, featuring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Paul Bettany as The Vision, Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau, and Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness!

In this episode, Jesse, DJ Nik and I talk about things like the showrunners making it pretty obvious that it was Agatha all along, Jesse not being able to leave Texas and fly off to Cancun like Ted Cruz did, Nik's rant on TV critics dismissing comic book TV shows, the Nexus of All Realities, Man-Thing having the worst name ever, Kang the Conqueror and Immortus, some comics background on Agatha Harkness, the episode's homages to Modern Family and The Office, wondering how much Wanda and Agatha are each responsible for, the missed opportunity of not having Luis from the Ant-Man movies doing the episode recaps, wondering why the Vision was stuck in traffic when he can fly, our attempt to discern the meaning of the Cataract Project, Monica's decision to enter the Hex without protection once again, waiting for Monica to become Spectrum, Pietro catching Monica peeking into Agnes' storm door, not being sold that Agatha Harkness is the show's Big Bad, not being allowed to show devil characters in Asian markets, my theory that Agatha is acting as a counselor to Wanda as she goes through the Five Stages of Grief, my guess that the Necronomicon from the Evil Dead movies will be an Easter egg in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fanmail from David K. Proctor, Chris from Colorado and Holly Mac, and more!

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

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The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- HERE
The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Soundcloud, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post 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 for Episode 207 as Jesse, DJ Nik and I discuss Episode 8 of the Disney+/Marvel Cinematic Universe series WandaVision, starring Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as the Vision!

DRUNK CINEMA 006: "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" Is Up!

 
"Khan!  Khan, you've got Genesis, but you don't have me!  You were going to kill me, Khan. You're going to have to come down here! You're going to have to come down here!"
"I've done far worse than kill you.  I've hurt you, and I wish to go on hurting you.  I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her -- marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet, buried alive.  Buried alive!"
Kirk: "KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!"
-- Admiral James T. Kirk and Khan Noonien Singh, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Hey there, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema!  This time, we reopen the Drunk Cinema Theatre to watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the 1982 science fiction film directed by Nicholas Meyer and featuring William Shatner as Admiral James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Captain Spock, DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, and Ricardo Montalban as Khan Noonien Singh!

In this sixth episode, Xan and I discuss things like Roger Ebert hating just about every movie that I like, the reason why Xan's husband Chris won't read film reviews anymore, Amazon Women on the Moon, my wife Lori never listening to any of my podcasts, Nicholas Meyer's movie Time After Time, The Day After, Cold War era songs "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and "Russians" by Sting, Sherlock Holmes being a cocaine addict, my published Star Trek: Strange New Worlds II short story "Doctors Three", why Leonard Nimoy means so much to Xan, all roads leading to Star Trek, Merritt Butrick and Paul Winfield appearing on Star Trek: The Next Generation, James Horner scoring Krull, the "Aren't you dead?" line being used to throw off leaked script reports about Spock's death, Xan's homemade Romulan Ale, my turning the same age as Kirk in Wrath of Khan, Chekov moving up in the Starfleet world, Walter Koenig's son Andrew, the big plot hole of Khan recognizing Chekov's face, Scotty's nephew Peter Preston, Spock's ostentatious disco wall decor in his quarters, why Bones is my all-time favorite Star Trek character, Xan's mom realizing she's a nerd, Original Recipe vs. Extra Crispy KFC chicken, closeups on obviously fake ears, Gene Roddenberry having a problem with Kirk killing the Ceti eel that crawled out of Chekov's ear, Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby", Xan's husband Chris' being late to his high school graduation because he was watching Star Trek III, Xan crying during Spock's funeral, Kirk and David's awkward father-son hug, The Road Warrior vs. Mad Max: Fury Road, and more!

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

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Be sure to come back in two weeks for Episode 007, as Xan and I watch Goldfinger, the 1964 James Bond film directed by Guy Hamilton and featuring Sean Connery as James Bond, Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, Gert Fröbe as Auric Goldfinger, and Harold Sakata as Oddjob!

THE FLASH Movie Casts Sasha Calle as Supergirl

 
The DC Extended Universe just got its own Supergirl.

Deadline has word that the upcoming DC Extended Universe film The Flash, starring Ezra Miller as The Flash/Barry Allen, has cast Latina actress Sasha Calle as Superman's cousin, Supergirl/Kara Zor-El.

According to the article, Calle was chosen from more than 425 actresses who auditioned.  The actresses weren’t informed what part they were reading for, until very late in the process. Calle also did a chemistry read with Miller.

The Flash director Andy Muschietti watched all the auditions and reportedly "was blown away by the actress’ toughness and vulnerability that she brought to the role."  "I saw more than four hundred auditions," remarked Muschietti.  "The talent pool was truly amazing and it was very hard to make a decision, but we finally found an actress who was destined to play this role."

Calle, 25, is best known as Lola Rosales on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, where she was nominated last year in the Outstanding Young Performer in a Drama series category at the Daytime Emmys.  She has also appeared in the short films The White Shoes and Final Stop.

Created in 1959 by Otto Binder, Al Plastino and Curt Swan, Supergirl first appeared in Action Comics (vol.1) #252 as Kara Zor-El, the daughter of Jor-El's brother Zor-El and cousin to Superman. She was the last survivor of Argo City, which had survived the destruction of the planet Krypton until meteorites of Green Kryptonite penetrated Argo City's protective barrier. Sent to Earth by Zor-El to be raised by her cousin, Kara acquired powers similar to Superman and adopted the secret identity of Linda Lee, a young girl at Midvale Orphanage. 

In the New 52 continuity, Kara's ship lands as part of a meteor shower in Smallville, Kansas, but burrows through the Earth and emerges in Siberia. Kara has no memory of the destruction of Krypton and believes herself to be dreaming. The military tracks her arrival, and a group of American soldiers in mechanized suits immediately attack her. Her powers start emerging as the fight goes on and terrify the surprised Kara. Superman arrives after she defeats the soldiers and tries to convince Kara that he is her cousin, but Kara, still believing that only three days have passed since she last saw baby Kal, accuses him of being an imposter and attacks him. Eventually, Kara accepts that Krypton has been destroyed and that Superman is indeed her grown-up cousin.

Calle will be the fourth actress to portray the character in live action, after Melissa Benoist on the CBS/CW TV series Supergirl, Laura Vandervoort on WB/CW series Smallville, and Helen Slater in the 1984 film Supergirl that was a spinoff from the Superman films starring Christopher Reeve.  The character has also appeared a number of times in animation, including Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Nicholle Tom), and the Super Best Friends Forever DC Nation animated shorts (voiced by Nicole Sullivan).

The Flash is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 4, 2022.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 219: "Terror of the Vervoids" Is Up!

 
"You'd better leave me to cope with this."
"You?"
"This is a situation that requires tact and finesse.  Fortunately, I am blessed with both."
-- The Sixth Doctor and Melanie "Mel" Bush, Doctor Who: "Terror of the Vervoids"

Hello again, everyone!  I'm back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  In this episode, I'm joined by special guest companion Rachel Frend from The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast to discuss "Terror of the Vervoids", the third serial from Doctor Who Season 23 in 1986, Parts Nine to Twelve of "The Trial of a Time Lord", featuring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Honor Blackman as Professor Sarah Lasky, Michael Craig as Commodore Travers, and the introduction of Bonnie Langford as Melanie "Mel" Bush!

In this episode, Rachel and I discuss things like Jesse Jackson not joining us this week because of the Texas power grid crisis, Rachel's pack of Jammie Dodgers, our big Big Finish piles, vegan diets coming back to literally bite you, the original story segment "Paradise 5" from the creator of Sapphire & Steel, John Nathan-Turner thinking that the Vervoids looked like labia, the pitch of Mel's scream matching the closing theme's sting, Pip and Jane Baker really liking to make Bonnie Langford scream as Mel, the "Terror of the Vervoids" production team thinking that Janet was the murderer, the British pronunciation of "vitamin", the Sixth Doctor and Mel being comfortable with one another, Mel making the Doctor exercise, Colin Baker's "parental pounds", Colin Baker giving Rachel cuddles, Rachel and my dad having birthdays, the Sixth Doctor not being a good detective, Mel being more eager to get into trouble than Peri, Mel having the worst taste in workout music, Rudge having a really bad retirement plan, the Mogarians helping Rudge hijack the Hyperion III, Professor Lasky being all about the science, Bruchner totally freaking the hell out, Doland wanting to profit off turning the Vervoids into slaves, the Doctor being forced to play the Matrix recordings because he has nothing else to defend himself, wondering if the genocide charge against the Doctor is justified, wondering if Jenna Coleman is tinier than Bonnie Langford, companions needing a "Doctor in Distress" phone app, our favorite quotes of the episode, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new feedback from Holly Mac, Dave Proctor, Jeff Hilke, and Jesse Jackson (!), Rachel being impatient for color films on Gold Standard: The Oscars Podcast, Xan Sprouse and I watching David Lynch's G-rated film The Straight Story, 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
Stitcher -- 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 with our current logo, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy new shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space!  Or your could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

And hey, if you'd like to pick up our classic logo Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can also find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as Jesse, Rachel and I discuss "The Ultimate Foe", the fourth serial from Doctor Who Season 23 in 1986, Parts Thirteen & Fourteen of "The Trial of a Time Lord", featuring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Bonnie Langford as Melanie "Mel" Bush, Michael Jayston as the Valeyard, and the return of Anthony Ainley as the Third Master and Tony Selby as Sabalom Glitz!

THE FANDOM ZONE 205: "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!" Is Up!

 
"I can't believe you're making them return all the candy."
"I can't believe what a bad influence you are."
"Who beefed in your borscht?  I'm just trying to do my part, okay?  Come to town unexpectedly, create tension with the brother-in-law, stir up trouble with the rugrats, and ultimately give you grief.  I mean, that's what you wanted, isn't it?"
-- Pietro Maximoff and Wanda Maximoff, WandaVision: "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!"

Hello again, everyone!  It's time for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, my co-host DJ Nik and I discuss "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!", the sixth episode of the Disney+ series WandaVision, featuring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Paul Bettany as The Vision, Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff, and Josh Stamberg as Tyler Hayward!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik's hair being spikier than mine, Wanda's use of the Joker's "aggressive expansion", assholes spoiling anticipated TV episodes online, where the "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!" title came from, Nik being a fan of Malcolm in the Middle, Captain America's "Star-Spangled Man with the Plan" costume from Captain America: The First Avenger, sweded movie trailers with homemade costumes, the nods to the Scarlet Witch, Vision and Quicksilver costumes from Bronze Age Marvel comics, teasing Billy and Tommy becoming the Young Avengers known as Wiccan and Speed, Mephisto reclaiming the souls of Billy and Tommy in the comics, the movie Kick-Ass having two Quicksilvers in it, the Claymation style Yo-Magic yogurt commercial, my disturbing theory that the people populating Westview are actually people Wanda indirectly killed in Sokovia and Lagos, Pietro being a bad influence on Billy and Tommy while trick-or-treating, wondering if Pietro is actually Mephisto, wondering why "Ellis Avenue" was emphasized, Agnes being woken up by the Vision and telling him that he's dead, the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz, why Jesse Jackson didn't join us again, the Agents of C.I.R.C.U.S., wondering why superheroes always fight one another when they meet for the first time instead of just going out for burgers or something, wondering why people pronounce Monica Rambeau's name as "Rambo", wondering if Darcy will end up in her waitress uniform from Two Broke Girls, Wanda seeing Zombie Quicksilver, our favorite quotes of the episode, The CW giving a pilot order for DC Comics' Naomi, new Fandom Zone Fanmail from David K. Proctor, Chris from Colorado and Holly Mac, and more!

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

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

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Soundcloud, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post 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 for Episode 206 as Jesse, DJ Nik and I discuss Episode 7 of the Disney+/Marvel Cinematic Universe series WandaVision, starring Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as the Vision!

GHOSTWOOD 092: "Lost Highway" Is Up!

 
"Don't tailgate!  Don't you fucking ever tailgate!  Do you know how much space is needed to stop a car traveling at 35 miles per hour?  Six car lengths!  Six fuckin' car lengths!  That's a hundred and six fuckin' feet, mister!  If I had to stop suddenly, you woulda hit me! I want you to get a fuckin' driver's manual, and I want you to study that motherfucker!  And I want you to obey the the goddamn rules of the road!  Fifty-fuckin' thousand people were killed on the highways last year 'cause of fuckin' assholes like you!  Tell me you're gonna get a manual!"
-- Mr. Eddy, Lost Highway

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  In this episode, we discuss Lost Highway, the 1997 Neo-noir film co-written and directed by David Lynch, starring Bill Pullman as Fred Madison, Patricia Arquette as Renee Madison & Alice Wakefield, Balthazar Getty as Pete Dayton, Robert Blake as Mystery Man, and Robert Loggia as Mr. Eddy!

LET'S ROCK!

In this episode, Xan and I discuss things like Xan using the pandemic to avoid social obligations, David Lynch having multiple wives, Balthazar Getty's father being kidnapped and held for ransom, Lost Highway being the last film for three actors, the movie Slackers, Bill Pullman not being well-cast as Fred Madison, Robert Blake as Mickey in The Little Rascals movie shorts, Robert Blake being tried for the murder of his second wife, Robert Loggia's amazing scene unloading on a tailgater, Annette O'Toole being the best thing in Superman III, Gary Busey playing Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story, David Lynch having a thing for musicians like Henry Rollins and Marilyn Manson, Michael Massee accidentally killing Brandon Lee during the filming of The Crow, the great Lost Highway soundtrack, Xan actually seeing Lost Highway in the theater during its three-week run, Lost Highway being partially inspired by the O.J. Simpson murder case, the inspiration for the "Dick Laurent is dead" intercom incident, Robert Blake designing the look of his Mystery Man character, Robert Loggia's profanity-laden rant for not being cast as Frank Booth in Blue Velvet, Mads Mikkelsen vs. Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, wondering if Fred time-travelled to tell himself that Dick Laurent was dead, Renee and Alice being the cause of Fred and Pete's problems, Lost Highway being a complete circular loop, guys being all about the now, wondering why the desert cabin explodes in reverse, DJ Nik and I talking WandaVision on The Fandom Zone Podcast, 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

Stitcher -- RIGHT HERE

YouTube -- RIGHT HERE

Ghostwood's Facebook page

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Be sure to come back in two weeks for Episode 093, as Xan and I discuss The Straight Story, the 1999 biographical road drama film directed by David Lynch, starring Richard Farnsworth as Alvin Straight, Sissy Spacek as Rose Straight, Harry Dean Stanton as Lyle Straight, and Everett McGill as Tom!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 218: "Mindwarp" Is Up!

 
"Today, prudence shall be our watchword.  Tomorrow, I shall soak the land in blood!"
-- King Yrcanos, Doctor Who: "Mindwarp"

Hello again, everyone!  My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  In this episode, we're joined by special guest companion Rachel Frend from The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast to discuss "Mindwarp", the second serial from Doctor Who Season 23 in 1986, Parts Five to Eight of "The Trial of a Time Lord", featuring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Brian Blessed as King Yrcanos, the return of Nabil Shaban as Sil, and the departure of Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown!

In this episode, Jesse, Rachel and I discuss things like doing the Mindwarp again, Philip Martin's later Sixth Doctor stories with Sil, Rachel's creepy Sil impression, the extremely convoluted story, Brian Blessed as Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon, Christopher Ryan and Trevor Laird appearing in both the classic and modern eras, Colin Baker being confused by the Doctor's behavior in "Mindwarp" and getting no help from anyone, Brian Blessed dropping f-bombs during production, Peri being killed because Nicola Bryant really wanted to play a villain, King Yrcanos becoming a professional wrestler on Earth, how I would've wrote the Doctor's portrayal in this story, Peri being stuck babysitting King Yrcanos, wishing Peri had a better sendoff for her final story, Crozier being way too laid-back, Nabil Shaban getting his Sil laugh from a snake, Rachel vs. barometric pressure, Nabil Shaban and Colin Baker eating peaches with food coloring, the Time Lords once again being hypocritical jerks about their non-interference policy, the Doctor not trusting anyone to defend him, the Time Lords using Yrcanos as their assassin, our favorite quotes of the episode, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new feedback from Holly Mac, Dave Proctor and Jeff Hilke, Rachel hating It's a Wonderful Life, Ricardo Montalban's chest in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 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
Stitcher -- 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 with our current logo, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy new shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space!  Or your could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

And hey, if you'd like to pick up our classic logo Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can also find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as Jesse, Rachel and I discuss "Terror of the Vervoids", the third serial from Doctor Who Season 23 in 1986, Parts Nine to Twelve of "The Trial of a Time Lord", featuring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Michael Jayston as The Valeyard, Honor Blackman as Professor Sarah Lasky, and the introduction of Bonnie Langford as Melanie "Mel" Bush!

The CW Gives TV Pilot Order for DC Comics' NAOMI

 
The biggest new mystery in the DC Universe may be coming to The CW.

Deadline is reporting that The CW has given a pilot order for the superhero drama Naomi, based on the recently-introduced DC Comics superhero.

According to the article, Naomi "follows a teen girl’s journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse.  When a supernatural event shakes her hometown to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, and what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes."

Naomi, The CW's latest DC Comics adaptation, comes from upcoming The New Gods director Ava DuVernay and Arrow writer and co-executive producer Jill Blankenship.  Blankenship and DuVernay will write the series and serve as executive producers.  The project will be produced by DuVernay’s Array Filmworks in association with Warner Bros Television, with Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes also set as executive producers.

Reportedly, there had been questions whether the network would go completely straight-to-series for the next broadcast season, given uncertainty around the COVID-19 global pandemic, but CW chairman Mark Pedowitz has decided to stick with the traditional pilot process.

Created in 2019 by Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker and Jamal Campbell, Naomi McDuffie first appeared in Naomi #1 as a teenager born on Earth in an alternate universe. Naomi's universe was very similar to the Prime Universe, but with a few distinguishing details.  After years of human environmental abuse, the Earth's ozone layer collapsed.  In the wake of the ozone layer's destruction, undiscovered radiation leaked onto the Earth's surface which had previously been kept at bay.

The radiation didn't harm anyone on planet Earth, but twenty-nine random people across the planet were given access to godlike powers.  Naturally, some of the twenty-nine sought to rule the world with these newfound powers, while others sought to stop them.  After one month of civil war between these two factions, fourteen of the twenty-nine were killed, while an additional seven more of the twenty-nine left the planet in disgust, resulting in only eight remaining.  Eventually, these eight were able to call a truce before the Earth was entirely destroyed.

None of the twenty-nine had been able to procreate, until Naomi's mother miraculously gave birth to her.  Zumbado, the most vile of the twenty-nine, sought to end Naomi's life to prove his superiority among the twenty-nine.  However, Naomi's parents, with the help of a woman called Akira, made preparations for Naomi's escape.  Eventually, her parents' allies brought Naomi to the Prime Universe, where she was discovered and adopted by Greg McDuffie and his wife Jen McDuffie in the small town of Port Oswego, Oregon.  Naomi grew up not knowing anything about her childhood, believing that she was just an ordinary girl.

Naomi’s curiosity about her childhood ultimately forced Greg to confess that he's an alien from the planet Rann who fought alongside Adam Strange and Green Lantern in the Rann/Thanagar War and came to Earth on a mission to track down Dee (the town’s mechanic who happened to be a Thanagarian terrorist soldier).  While on Earth, he fell in love with Jen and took her as his wife.  Naomi also learned she can transform into a superpowered form, giving her golden armor along with several metahuman abilities, including energy projection, flight, increased strength, and increased durability.

Soon after, a portal opened with a large man telling Naomi that he had used her newly-discovered powers to lock onto her location and that Akira had sent him to bring her back to their world.  Eager to see her birth world, Naomi followed the man through the portal.  Naomi was shocked to discover that her birth world had been almost completely ravaged.  The man revealed to Naomi that he was Zumbado, and that her parents had died a long time ago.  Naomi attacked him, determined to claim vengeance for her parents' deaths.  Although she was incredibly powerful, Naomi was no match for Zumbado's greater experience, and she was quickly overwhelmed.  Fortunately, Lady Akira came to Naomi's aid and opened a portal for her escape back to Earth.  Although reluctant to leave Akira in the hands of Zumbado, Naomi eventually headed through the portal back home.  Zumbado attempted to follow her, but Naomi was able to use her powers to send him back through the portal, which subsequently closed.

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER Super Bowl Trailer Teases the Return of Baron Zemo

 
Where do we start?

Once again, Disney/Marvel took advantage of America's most-watched sporting event by promoting the next Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series during last night's Super Bowl LV.  The 30-second TV spot was better than the actual game, which featured the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trouncing the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, showing us more from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.  However, a spiffier extended trailer was immediately released online, giving us two full minutes of Sam and Bucky goodness.

The extended trailer opens with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and James "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Stan) facing an unknown psychiatrist inside what appears to be an interrogation room.  "So," she begins, "who would like to start?"

As we cut to Sam and Bucky aboard a military aircraft, dressed respectively in their Falcon and Winter Soldier uniforms, we continue hearing a voiceover from the psychiatrist.  "Mr. Barnes, why does Sam aggravate you?" she asks.

"15 seconds to drop," says the Falcon, heading for the open hatch.

"So, what's our plan?" asks the Winter Soldier.

Saying nothing in response, the Falcon jumps out of the aircraft and soars away, noticeably aggravating the Winter Soldier, who mutters, "Great..."

We cut to a nighttime shot of the city of what appears to be Madripoor, a fictional island in Southeast Asia riddled with political corruption and all manner of crime.  We hear a voiceover belonging to none other than Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), whom we last saw in the 2016 MCU film Captain America: Civil War.  "Superheroes...cannot be allowed to exist," he remarks.  "I have no intention of leaving my work unfinished."

Next, we see an explosion, followed by a quick glimpse of Erin Kellyman as a young woman who dons a black mask with a blood-red handprint belonging to an anarchist anti-patriotism group called the Flag-Smashers.

We then see Bucky watching some sort of military brass announcement while Sam looks sadly at a large banner of his friend, Captain America/Steve Rogers.  "The wall's upside down right now," remarks Bucky in a voiceover.

The scene shifts to Sam hurling Captain America's shield at a tree, presumably for practice.  This is immediately followed by a shot of Bucky catching the returning shield.

In a completely different scene, Sam asks someone off-camera, "Where do we start?"

As the song "Is You Ready" by Migos starts playing, we see fleeting glimpses of Sam investigating a stylish nightclub while Bucky fights several Russian and/or Eastern European men.

We cut to the Falcon soaring above a canyon, dodging several missiles trying to knock him out of the sky.  "Buck, I have a plan," he says over an earpiece radio.

"Oh, yeah?!" asks the Winter Soldier, still aboard the aircraft from earlier.  "What is it?!"

We shift to another scene, featuring former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) stepping into view and aiming her gun at Sam and Bucky.  "Here we go again, hunh?" she remarks.  This is followed by a quick glimpse of Sharon fighting some men in the middle of some shipping containers.

We cut to a football stadium, holding some sort of patriotic ceremony featuring a high school marching band dressed in red, white and blue garb with a stylized "A" symbol.  A figure who looks similar to Captain America, the U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), marches out into the center of the field and high-fives the bandleader.

Fleeting glimpses follow of Bucky fighting more guys and the Falcon swooping into another aircraft to fight some guys, with the Falcon transforming his wings into a shield to protect himself from a hail of bullets.  We see Sam hurl Cap's shield again, followed by another explosion.

A different scene featuring the Winter Solider fighting the Flag-Smashers atop two moving trucks, with Bucky falling off and having to save himself with his mechanical arm.  Now hanging at the bottom of the truck, Bucky can only watch as the Falcon flies by and mocks him, saying, "That little girl kicked your ass."  As an oncoming car quickly approaches, Falcon swiftly soars underneath both trucks to avoid a collision.

After the show's titles, we return to the interrogation room, with Sam and Bucky now directly facing one another as the psychiatrist watches from behind the table.  "See?" she says.  "That wasn't so hard."  Sam and Bucky suddenly begin a stare fight, with the psychiatrist asking, "Okay, what are you doing?  Are you having a staring contest?"  

The two men continue, trying to outlast the other until the annoyed psychiatrist abruptly snaps her fingers between them.  "Just blink, sweet Jesus...I mean, how old are you?"

In Bucky's case, that could prove to be an interesting response.

If you'd like to see the new trailer, you can check it out below thanks to the official Marvel Entertainment account on YouTube...

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is scheduled to be released on Disney+ on March 19, 2021.

THE FANDOM ZONE 204: "On a Very Special Episode..." Is Up!

 
"It's not often you get a dog and bury them the same day."
"Well, life moves pretty fast out in the suburbs."
-- The Vision and Wanda Maximoff, WandaVision: "On a Very Special Episode..."

Hello again, everyone!  It's time for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, my co-host DJ Nik and I discuss "On a Very Special Episode...", the fifth episode of the Disney+ series WandaVision, featuring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Paul Bettany as The Vision, Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau, and Kathryn Hahn as "Agnes"!

In this episode, Nik and I talk about things like why Jesse Jackson is missing from this episode, getting a WandaVision episode that's a whole 41 minutes, wanting more substantive superhero TV shows like WandaVision, WandaVision becoming the first Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show on Disney+ instead of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, entitled fans freaking out when creators break away from their typical format, the Adult Swim series Too Many Cooks, the deal with "Very Special Episodes" from the 1980s, the two Quicksilvers from the MCU and Fox X-Men movies, Sparky the dog from Tom King and Gabriel Walta's The Vision maxiseries, the Lagos paper towel commercial, the changing roles of women on television from the '50s to the '80s, wondering what happened to the kids in Westview, needing to keep an eye on Dennis the mailman, the Vision becoming increasingly aware that something is wrong, Billy and Tommy's rapid aging, more reasons why Elizabeth Olsen deserves an Emmy, Wanda going all Dark Phoenix and confronting S.W.O.R.D. in the real world, wondering if Wanda has dissociative identity disorder, wondering if Wanda will remain an MCU threat after WandaVision ends, mid-air vampire faceoffs on What We Do in the Shadows, Vision having resentment towards Wanda for resurrecting him, wondering if the twins are also able to change reality, Darcy's name "Hex" for the Maximoff Anomaly, Monica bristling at the subject of Captain Marvel, Wanda changing existing matter for the sitcom instead of creating it, wondering if Monica now has her Photon/Spectrum superpowers from the comics, the mysterious aerospace engineer that Monica knows, wondering if Jimmy Woo will take over as S.W.O.R.D. director from Tyler Hayward, Evan Peters showing up as a "recast" Pietro, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fanmail from Holly Mac, and more!

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

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And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Soundcloud, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post 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 for Episode 205 as Jesse, Nik and I discuss Episode 6 of the Disney+/Marvel Cinematic Universe series WandaVision, starring Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as the Vision!