GHOSTWOOD 125: "The Short Films of David Lynch" Is Up!

 
"By golly, Slim...He's got French fries!"
"By golly, Slim...He got French fries."
"Hell, shoot, French fries! Well then, by golly, I'll bet you a nickel we got ourselves a Frenchman here."
-- Pete, Dusty and Slim, The Cowboy and the Frenchman

It is happening again...My amazing co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we discuss The Short Films of David Lynch, the 2002 DVD collection of the early student and commissioned film work of David Lynch, including his short films The Alphabet, The Grandmother, The Amputee, and The Cowboy and the Frenchman!

LET'S ROCK

In this episode, Xan and I discuss things like Xan and I going to see Peter Gabriel in concert later this year, why it took us six weeks to get this episode recorded, Xan hooking me up with a couple of Twin Peaks replica artifacts, how you can find The Short Films of David Lynch on DVD, the short films of David Lynch that aren't on the the 2002 DVD, thinking about all the years it took for Lynch to finish Eraserhead, the annoying AF siren in Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times), Lynch's early short films building on top of one another, The Alphabet as a terrifying version of Sesame Street, the boy in The Grandmother growing a grandmother because his parents are abusive assholes, Xan wondering if David Lynch got the name Mot from the Looney Tunes cartoon Rocket-Bye-Baby, Lynch's The Grandmother defying categorization at the American Film Institute, the strange positivity of David Lynch, the Log Lady intros made for the Bravo cable channel broadcasts of Twin Peaks, more of Twin Peaks on VHS, Catherine Coulson in The Amputee, our attempt to understand the amputee's letter, wondering if Lynch and Frost named Jack Nance's character Pete Martell after Nance's character Pete in The Cowboy and the Frenchman, Michael Horse playing a stereotypical Native American of mysterious tribal descent, our joy learning that Tracey Walter appeared in a David Lynch film, the film shot with a Lumière camera involving a train coming right at the audience, European filmmaking being at the forefront of creativity, the rivalry between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, wishing Sean Pertwee would portray his father Jon's character the Third Doctor, our finally getting to discuss Inland Empire, the annoying snoring guy who ruined the ending of the Inland Empire for me, and more!

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Be sure to come back in two weeks for Episode 126 of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast, as Xan and I finally discuss Inland Empire, the 2006 psychological thriller film directed by David Lynch, featuring Laura Dern as Nikki Grace/Sue Blue, Jeremy Irons as Kingsley Stewart, Justin Theroux as Devon Berk/Billy Side, and Harry Dean Stanton as Freddie Howard!

Paramount+ Announces Series Order for STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY

 
Admission is now open at Starfleet Academy.

Paramount+ has announced a new Star Trek live-action TV series, titled Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which will begin production sometime in 2024.

Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau will serve as co-showrunners for the series and will executive produce alongside executive producers Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa and John Weber. The series premiere episode is written by Gaia Violo. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.

According to the announcement on the official Star Trek website, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will "introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself."

In addition, a joint announcement was made by co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau. "Admission is now open to Starfleet Academy! Explore the galaxy! Captain your destiny! For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years (or species equivalent) who dream of exceeding their physical, mental and spiritual limits, who value friendship, camaraderie, honor and devotion to a cause greater than themselves. The coursework will be rigorous, the instructors among the brightest lights in their respective fields, and those accepted will live and study side-by-side with the most diverse population of students ever admitted. Today we encourage all who share our dreams, goals and values to join a new generation of visionary cadets as they take their first steps toward creating a bright future for us all. Apply today! Ex Astris, Scientia!"

The Latin phrase "Ex Astris, Scientia!" translates into English as "From the stars, knowledge!"

And if the "For the first time in over a century" line is any clue, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be a spinoff from Star Trek: Discovery, which is currently set in the year 3190 and is ending in 2024 with its upcoming fifth season. In the Discovery Season 4 opener, "Kobayashi Maru", it was stated that Starfleet Academy was reopening, 125 years after it closed for unknown reasons in the year 3065. Presumably, the Season 4 episode "All Is Possible" became a backdoor pilot for the new series with Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) likely returning as a main character.

In "All Is Possible", Silvia Tilly, who has been feeling unsure about her place on the USS Discovery, accompanies a group of new Starfleet Academy cadets on a team-building exercise. The team of cadets -- Val Sasha, a Human (Amanda Arcuri), Harral, an Orion (Seamus Patterson), and Taahz Gorev, a Tellarite (Adrian Walters) -- need to work together to survey a planet. They initially don't get along but are forced to bond after they are thrown off course and crash land on a dangerous moon called Kokytos. Together, they're able to signal a Starfleet ship that saves them and returns them to Federation Headquarters, where the mysterious Dr. Kovich (David Cronenberg) offers Tilly a teaching position at the Academy. Tilly accepts the teaching position and leaves Discovery.

WONDER MAN Casts Demetrius Grosse as the Grim Reaper

 
The Grim Reaper is coming for Wonder Man.

TVLine is reporting that the upcoming Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series Wonder Man, based on the Marvel Comics superhero, has cast Demetrius Grosse as Eric Williams, better known to Marvel fans as the supervillain Grim Reaper.

Wonder Man will explore Hollywood actor Simon Williams, who is thrust into the world of superheroes as he gets powers of his own, and becomes the new superhero Wonder Man. The cast also includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Wonder Man/Simon Williams and Sir Ben Kingsley, reprising his MCU role of Trevor Slattery.

Grosse, 42, is probably best known as Emile and Josiah LaRoux on the AMC series Fear the Walking Dead, and has appeared in episodes of Dexter, Bones, Heroes, The Cape, Justified, Banshee, Westworld, The Rookie, and Lovecraft Country. In addition, Grosse has appeared in the films Straight Outta Compton and Rampage.

Created in 1968 by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, the Grim Reaper first appeared in The Avengers (vol.1) #52 as Eric Williams, the brother of Simon Williams and black sheep of his family. As they grew older, Simon grew studious while Eric was an athlete. Eric also became more rebellious, and tried to get Simon to join in his petty thefts. Eric eventually became a gambler, joined the Maggia and moved to Las Vegas, while Simon took over the family business, Williams Innovations. When Williams Innovations began to fail, partly due to competition with Stark Industries, the desperate Simon turned to Eric's mob ties for help. Simon embezzled money from the company to invest with Eric, but Simon was caught and jailed. Simon was freed from jail by Baron Heinrich Zemo, induced by an offer of revenge on Iron Man and the Avengers to which Eric's brother was transformed into Wonder Man.

Learning of his brother's death, Eric was inflamed with guilt and anger. Through his Maggia contacts, he contacted the Tinkerer to provide him with his scythe weapon, which was further enhanced by Ultron with coma-inducing abilities. Taking the "Grim Reaper" name, he became a professional criminal and defeated Hawkeye, Goliath and the Wasp, placing the three Avengers in comas, but was beaten by the Black Panther's surprise appearance.

The Grim Reaper later had Wonder Man resurrected as a zombie by the Black Talon to attack the Avengers, leading to Wonder Man being restored to true life. Grim Reaper then captured the Avengers, and staged a trial to determine whether the Vision, who had Simon's brain patterns, or Wonder Man was his true brother. Later still, the Grim Reaper with Ultron, Nekra and other allies, captured the Avengers. Grim Reaper attempted a recreation of "Simon Williams" as a zombie. He was pursued by the Vision and Wonder Man in a cave, and died in a fall from the cave ledge. Grim Reaper was resurrected by Nekra as a zombie, but he believed himself to be alive. The zombie battled Wonder Man and Magneto, but when he realized he was actually dead, he "died" once again.

The Grim Reaper was later restored to life by the Scarlet Witch's magic. When Ultron attempted to create a new "family" for himself, Grim Reaper was abducted as one of the six individuals that came closest to being Ultron's "family" - the others being Hank Pym, Wasp, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Wonder Man. Ultron regarded Grim Reaper as the first human connection made apart from Pym, as well as the connections to Wonder Man and Vision. While Vision distracted Ultron, Eric was able to escape his bonds and free the other prisoners, although he subsequently fled, informing Vision that he only released the others to save himself rather than any more noble goal.

Grosse will be the first actor to portray the Grim Reaper in live action, although the character has appeared in various animated projects, including The Avengers: United They Stand (voiced by Allan Royal), The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (voiced by Lance Henriksen), and Avengers Assemble (voiced by Roger Craig Smith).

Wonder Man is expected to arrive on Disney+ sometime in 2024.

THE X-FILES' Chris Carter Reveals Ryan Coogler Is Developing "Remount"

 
Fans of The X-Files want to believe in a relaunch.

Deadline is reporting that Chris Carter, creator of science fiction drama TV series The X-Files, is being "remounted" by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

Celebrating the show's 30th anniversary on the CBC podcast On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko, Carter revealed, "I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount The X-Files with a diverse cast. So, he’s got his work cut out for him because we covered so much territory."

Coogler, 36, is best known as the director of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther, which was the first superhero film to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, and its sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, In addition, Coogler has directed the films Creed and Fruitvale Station.

The X-Files television series aired from September 1993 to May 2002 on Fox for nine seasons totaling 202 episodes, and spawned two feature films -- 1998's The X-Files: Fight the Future and The X-Files: I Want to Believe, released in 2008. A short tenth season consisting of six episodes ran from January to February 2016. Following the ratings success of this revival, The X-Files returned for an eleventh season of ten episodes, which ran from January to March 2018.

The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who investigate the eponymous "X-Files" -- marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder is a skilled criminal profiler, ardent supernaturalist, and conspiracy theorist who believes in the existence of the paranormal, whereas Scully is a medical doctor and a skeptic who has been assigned to scientifically analyze Mulder's discoveries.

In other X-Files news, TVLine has word that The X-Files: Albuquerque, an animated comedy spinoff, is not moving forward at Fox. First announced in development back in August 2020, the project wasn't planned to revolve around Mulder and Scully. Instead, the series would've centered on "an office full of misfit agents who investigate X-Files cases too wacky, ridiculous or downright dopey for Mulder and Scully to bother with."

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 285: "The Wedding of River Song" is Up!

 
"It's all still waiting for you -- the fields of Trenzalore, the fall of the Eleventh, and the Question!"
"Goodbye, Dorium."
"The First Question! The question that must never be answered! Hidden in plain sight! The question you've been running from all your life! Doctor Who? Doctor WHO? DOC -- TOR -- WHO?!"
-- Dorium Maldovar and the Eleventh Doctor, Doctor Who: "The Wedding of River Song"

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! This time, we're joined by special guest companion Holly Mac to discuss "The Wedding of River Song", the 13th episode from Doctor Who Series Six in 2011, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, and the return of Alex Kingston as River Song!

In this episode, Jesse, Holly and I discuss things like Holly getting a bunch of snow before her spring break, the recent news of the upcoming UNIT spinoff with Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, wondering if we'll get the return of Brigadier Winifred Bambera, UNIT making sense as a Torchwood replacement, the upcoming Doctor Who: Doom's Day multi-platform event, getting the return of Dorium Maldovar, Winston Churchill, Malokeh, and Charles Dickens, the Eleventh Doctor learning that the Brigadier died in his sleep in a nursing home, the eye-drives being a tribute to Jon Pertwee era story "Inferno", Mark Gatiss being credited under the pseudonym "Rondo Haxton", Today show host Meredith Vieira making a cameo as a newsreader, the unrevealed backstory of Madame Kovarian, where "The Wedding of River Song" falls on the River Song timeline, Jesse's spoiler of the ending for The Last of Us Season One, River selfishly putting her love of the Doctor over the needs of the universe, the Doctor's quest to find information regarding the Silence, the Silence resembling vampire bats, the Doctor marrying River to create enough physical contact to restart time, the reason River agreed to kiss the Doctor, Amy killing Madame Kovarian as revenge for what happened to her daughter Melody Pond, Amy Pond as James Bond, the fairness of River having to spend the rest of her days in Stormcage Prison, Steven Moffat creating the Teselecta as the Doctor's escape hatch to avoid his fate, the Doctor's sobering reaction to the Brigadier's death, our favorite quotes of the episode, my Reverse the Polarity segment, new feedback from Dave Proctor, Xan and I watching The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) for our 42nd episode of Drunk Cinema, "The Final Beginning" being set after the end of "The War Games" but before the beginning of "Spearhead from Space", and more!

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We have a Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt with our previous logo, 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 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 in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "The Final Beginning", the first audio drama from Big Finish Productions' Doctor Who: Beyond War Games set from 2022, introducing Michael Troughton as the Second Doctor and Emma Noakes as Raven, along with Jon Culshaw as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart!

THE FANDOM ZONE 264: "Closer" Is Up!

 
"C'mon, you guys don't want to hear about when you were born?"
"It was very painful, don't you ever forget that!"
-- Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Superman & Lois -- "Closer"

Hello again, everyone! It's time for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, DJ Nik and I discuss "Closer", the first episode of Superman & Lois Season 3, featuring Tyler Hoechlin as Superman/Clark Kent, Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane, and introducing Michael Bishop as Jon Kent and Chad L. Coleman as Bruno Mannheim!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik and I opting to discuss Superman & Lois instead of The Flash this episode, Nik bailing on Gotham Knights after the first ten minutes, The Flash's Tom Canavagh directing Superman & Lois, Michael Bishop taking over for Jordan Elsass as Jon Kent, Chad L. Coleman as Tyreese on The Walking Dead, some comics background on Bruno Mannheim and Onomatopoeia, Nik preferring the original Cape Fear, Lois & Clark getting it on at Tal-Rho's villa, Lois thinking that she might be pregnant and probably having cancer instead, Clark sending Jordan into the ocean while racing him in flight, Clark being a bit too harsh when criticizing Jordan's failed attempt to rescue people, Jordan being put into the Friendzone by Sarah, still waiting for a Jon vs. Jordan superpowered fight, Sam hanging out with Natalie at a horror movie just to recruit her for the DoD, John Henry laying into Sam about how he treated Natalie, Kyle getting it on with Chrissy Beppo, Chrissy finding out that Kyle and Lana are divorcing, wondering if Lana will hook up with John Henry, Chrissy reassuring Kyle's fragile male ego, the return of Atom Man, our early take on Bruno Mannheim, the impressive debut of Onomatopoeia, our favorite quotes of the episode, some questions about Gotham Knights from Christine Peruski, our enjoying the film Gladiator, Nik's recent appearances on Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast, and more!

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Be sure to come back next week as DJ Nik and I discuss "Uncontrollable Forces", the second episode of Superman & Lois Season 3, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

DRUNK CINEMA 041: "Flash Gordon (1980)" Is Up!

 
"Pathetic earthlings. Hurling your bodies out into the void, without the slightest inkling of who or what is out here. If you had known anything about the true nature of the universe, anything at all, you would've hidden from it in terror."
-- Ming the Merciless, Flash Gordon (1980)

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, we watch Flash Gordon, the 1980 space opera film directed by Mike Hodges, featuring Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon, Melody Anderson as Dale Arden, Max von Sydow as Ming the Merciless, and Topol as Dr. Hans Zarkov!

In this episode, Xan and I discuss things like Xan feeling my pain regarding my aging parents, why we decided to watch Flash Gordon instead of The Terminator as originally planned, paying tribute to the passing of Topol, why David Niven isn't counted as a James Bond, Xan and her husband Chris playing Queen's version of the wedding march at their wedding reception, screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. writing Batman (1966) and Three Days of the Condor, Buster Crabbe as the original live-action Flash Gordon, Max von Sydow being in all kinds of cool movies, Xan having the hots for Max von Sydow in guyliner, Timothy Dalton as James Bond and Mr. Pricklepants, the three Flash Gordon actors who appeared on Doctor Who, the awesome Season 1 theme to Space: 1999, the first Funko Xan ever bought, my using "King of the Impossible" as part of my social media profile description, William Hootkins being the patron saint of Drunk Cinema, Xan having a thing for guys whose sleeves are rolled up to the elbow, Zarkov being a hot mad scientist, my seeing Flash Gordon in the theater at the age of 11, producer Dino de Laurentiis loving lavish productions, Flash's football fight scene, Max von Sydow rocking a skullcap, Princess Aura being an evil Captain Jack Harkness, Dale having the sense to take off her high heels before running, Barin and Aura's toxic relationship, how to avoid having your mind erased, Brian Blessed saying "Gordon's alive?!", the rotating disc fight covering Sam J. Jones and Timothy Dalton in silver spray paint, the Hawkman Walkman, George Lucas making Star Wars after not being able to get the Flash Gordon rights, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski, watching the Hitchhiker's movie for our 42nd episode, and more!

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Be sure to come back in two weeks for Episode 042, as Xan and I watch The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the 2005 film based on the Douglas Adams novel and directed by Garth Jennings, featuring Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent, Sam Rockwell as Zaphod Beeblebrox, Zooey Deschanel as Trillian, and Alan Rickman as the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android!

THE FANDOM ZONE 263: "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 2" Is Up!

 
"You took Grodd's mind away from me. You poisoned another Rogue to use against me. Why do you keep ruining my life, Flash?"
"You think it's bad now, wait until you taste the food at Iron Heights."
-- The Red Death and The Flash, The Flash -- "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 2"

Hello again, everyone! It's time for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, DJ Nik and I discuss "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 2", the fifth episode of The Flash Season Nine, featuring Grant Gustin as The Flash/Barry Allen, Javicia Leslie as The Red Death & Batwoman, and the return of David Sobolov as the voice of Grodd!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like the two of us looking forward to the Oscars, director Rachel Talalay directing episodes of Doctor Who and Doom Patrol, Javicia Leslie coming very close to matching her horrible overacting in "Part 1", why it was a mercy to end the Red Death story arc now instead of letting it run for the entire season, being relieved that Joe gets to walk away from the show with Jenna instead of being killed off, some comics background on Grodd, wondering how the CCPD afforded a satellite, not getting any explanation for why Ryan Wilder disappeared, wondering how Ryan learned that Red Death was in Central City, Batwoman vs. Red Death, the super-speed battle between the Flash and Red Death, the underwhelming defeat of Red Death, wondering what happened to Red Death's Rogues after they took over CCPD headquarters, Barry pointing out that Khione has nothing to offer in a fight, Khione waking Chillblaine from his coma by kissing him, wondering why Red Death didn't kill the Flash after defeating him, Batwoman's homage to the Adam West version of Batman, Grodd signing on with Red Death after being completely forgotten about by Barry and Team Flash, wondering why Grodd didn't just ask Barry for help finding Grodd's fellow gorillas, Nik wanting to see Grodd on the big screen, Ryan Wilder not having any training to become Batwoman, Cecile's tingling Joe-Sense, Cecile staying in Central City to play superhero while Joe and Jenna move out to the country, wondering what's causing Cecile's mental powers to keep increasing, Barry making the effort to reach out to Mark, Barry taking over for Joe as Pep Talk Guy, what Iris brings to the table, Mark and Khione taking over as the new "will they or won't they" couple from Chester and Allegra, Iris becoming pregnant three months earlier than Barry's notebook about the future said she would, our favorite quotes of the episode, Nik talking William Hartnell stories on Next Stop Everywhere, wondering if Hazard will be next episode's Big Bad, and more!

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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! 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 as DJ Nik and I discuss "The Good, the Bad and the Lucky", the sixth episode of The Flash Season Nine, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Jemma Redgrave to Reprise Kate Stewart for New DOCTOR WHO Spinoff Series UNIT

 
Here's hoping these Whoniverse spinoff plans won't be countermanded.

Deadline has confirmed a previous report by British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror that the first of two new Doctor Who spinoff series to stream on Disney+ will be UNIT, based on the fictional military organization currently led by Kate Stewart, daughter of original UNIT commanding officer Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.

According to the reports, actress Jemma Redgrave will reprise her role as Kate Stewart for the new series after returning for Doctor Who's 2023 Christmas Special, the first episode to star Ncuti Gatwa as the incoming Fifteenth Doctor. Redgrave, 58, made her debut as Kate Stewart in the 2012 episode "The Power of Three" and reprised the role several times, most recently in Jodie Whittaker's final episode as the Thirteenth Doctor, "The Power of the Doctor". Since 2015, she has also starred as Kate Stewart in the audio drama spinoff UNIT: The New Series from Big Finish Productions.

UNIT first appeared in the 1968 Doctor Who serial "The Invasion" as the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, which featured Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor and his companions Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot joining forces with Nicholas Courtney's character the Brigadier and UNIT to defeat an invasion from the Cybermen. UNIT was featured heavily during the Jon Pertwee era while Pertwee's Third Doctor was exiled on Earth by the Time Lords, but was gradually phased out of the show by the second season of Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor in 1975. Courtney's Brigadier and UNIT occasionally returned for a few more serials until 1989's "Battlefield" as part of Doctor Who's final season of the classic era.

In 2005, Russell T Davies brought UNIT back without the Brigadier in the two-parter "Aliens of London/World War III" when Doctor Who returned with Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor. Three years later in "The Sontaran Stratagem" with David Tennant's Tenth Doctor, UNIT was renamed the UNified Intelligence Taskforce after complaints from the real-life United Nations, who became unwilling to be associated with the fictional organization. UNIT remained without a notable commander until Redgrave's Kate Stewart debuted in the era of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor.

The Daily Mirror also mentions that a second Doctor Who spinoff is being planned involving "monsters".

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 284: "The Sensorites" Is Up!

 
"Yes, it all started out as a mild curiosity in the junkyard, and now it's turned out to be quite a -- quite a great spirit of adventure, don't you think?"
-- The First Doctor, Doctor Who: "The Sensorites"

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! This time, we're joined by special guest companion DJ Nik to discuss "The Sensorites", the seventh serial from Doctor Who Season One in 1964, featuring William Hartnell as the First Doctor, William Russell as Ian Chesterton, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, and Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman!

In this episode, Jesse, Nik and I discuss things like Jesse getting COVID from a Bruce Springsteen concert, my giving Nik a hard time about being superfluous, why we weren't able to record two weeks ago, watching 16 episodes of Classic Who in row, the story wrapping things up too quickly, exploring the possibility of Susan having telepathic abilities, enigmatic writer Peter R. Newman, actress Jacqueline Hill going on holiday during Episodes 4 & 5, Peter R. Newman basing the story on time he spent in a Japanese POW camp in World War II, Russell T Davies acknowledging the Sensorites influenced his creation of the Ood, the Doctor first mentioning his dislike of weapons, the Tenth Doctor recreating Susan's description of Gallifrey in "Gridlock", the Sensorites forcing the TARDIS team to come down to the Sense Sphere, the slowest blowtorch in history, Nik being happy that the First Doctor finally got a decent laboratory to play with, the First Doctor bravely going into the aqueduct alone, the First Doctor ignoring Susan's concerns too often, my wondering if Carole Ann Ford would've stayed with the show if the writers had developed the idea of Susan having telepathic powers a few stories sooner, the First Doctor losing Susan by being too afraid of losing her, the surviving Earthmen in the aqueduct desperately needing a shower, John having his mind scrambled by the Sensorites, "The Sensorites" hitting on some pretty serious issues for a children's show, the City Administrator and his henchman accidentally killing the Second Elder, our thoughts if and how the Sensorites should return in the modern era, Ian laughing at the Doctor saying he doesn't meddle in other people's affairs, our favorite quotes of the story, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new feedback from Holly Mac and Sandi from Oregon, finally going back to the Modern Era with "The Wedding of River Song", and more!

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

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We have a Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt with our previous logo, 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 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 in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I are joined by special guest companion Holly Mac to discuss "The Wedding of River Song", the thirteenth episode from Doctor Who Series Six in 2011, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, and the return of Alex Kingston as River Song!

THE FANDOM ZONE 262: "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 1" Is Up!

 
"You want to know who I am? I am the last glimmer of crimson a killer sees before he draws his final breath. I am vengeance. I am the night. I am...the Red Death."
-- The Red Death, The Flash -- "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 1"

Hello again, everyone! It's time for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, DJ Nik and I discuss "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 1", the fourth episode of The Flash Season Nine, featuring Grant Gustin as The Flash/Barry Allen, Javicia Leslie as The Red Death, and the return of Paul Anthony as Rainbow Raider!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik and I being sympatico on our Oscar picks, my theory about Red Death's TV origin mostly being validated, wondering what is up with Javicia Leslie's extreme overacting, how Javicia Leslie's performance compared to her performance on Batwoman, Jenna Marie West finally appearing on The Flash for the first time since "A Girl Named Sue" in 2020, some comics background on Rainbow Raider, Paul Anthony returning as Rainbow Raider for the first time since Season 1, being thankful that Iris wasn't fooled by Red Death Ryan Wilder pretending to be Batwoman Ryan Wilder, Red Death being an unreliable narrator, Owlman from the Crime Syndicate, the clever misdirection of Red Death's armor being empty inside, Barry getting pissed that Chillblaine was left behind to die at the hands of Red Death's Rogues, why the director should've been too embarrassed to include Javicia Leslie's over-the-top cliffhanger rant in the final cut, there being no crying in supervillainy, good acting making bad dialogue sound halfway decent, Joe going house-hunting without telling Cecile, Cecile going off to play superhero without a costume or codename to conceal her identity, wondering why Joe and Cecile didn't decide to move out so Barry and Iris could move into their old home like The Book said so, Nik crushing on Danielle Cecilet, Chester having a CB radio in 2023, Allegra finally wanting to discuss her relationship with Chester right in the middle of another crisis, still wondering what Khione brings to the table as a character, our favorite quotes of the episode, The Fandom Zone Podcast discussing Justice League Dark before Nik's Happiness in Darkness: The Superhero Movie Podcast, Joe's pep talks always being good for Barry, and more!

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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! 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 as DJ Nik and I discuss "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 2", the fifth episode of The Flash Season Nine, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

DRUNK CINEMA 040: "Yellow Submarine" Is Up!

 
"Well, do you speak English?"
"You know, I'm not sure!"
"He's so smart, he doesn't even remember what he knows."
-- Paul McCartney, Jeremy Hillary Boob, and Ringo Starr, Yellow Submarine

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, we're joined by special guest Rachel Frend as we watch Yellow Submarine, the 1968 animated musical fantasy directed by George Dunning, featuring the voices of John Clive as John Lennon, Geoffrey Hughes as Paul McCartney, Peter Batten as George Harrison, and Paul Angelis as Ringo Starr!

In this episode, Xan, Rachel and I discuss things like Xan cheering me up with her TikTok videos, Rachel starting a new legging tattoo, why Rachel pitched us Yellow Submarine, Rachel having a Yellow Submarine Ringo Starr action figure with a Blue Meanie, the same 12 British actors appearing in every movie, Powerpuff Girls voice actor Tom Kane basing the voice of HIM on the Chief Blue Meanie, the animators cutting corners in the animation, John Lennon transforming from a Frankenstein's Monster, our favorite Beatles, the Beatles teaching us how to count to 64, Ringo bringing discipline to the Beatles, why business cards are important, Jeremy Hillary Boob being a parody of public intellectuals and polymaths, why you shouldn't eat the Bonking Apples, the error during "All You Need Is Love", a moment of silence for Neil Innes, the underrated song "Hey Bulldog", John Lennon and Paul McCartney writing nonsense lyrics, the difference between the Yellow Submarine album and the score, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski, Xan and I being inspired to watch The Terminator after watching the past week's episode of The Mandalorian, and more!

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Be sure to come back in two weeks for Episode 041, as Xan and I watch The Terminator, the 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, introducing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, and Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese!

THE FANDOM ZONE 261: "Rogues of War" Is Up!

 
"Everything they've stolen -- the Roemer accelerator battery, the sonic gauntlets...Now a temporal scanner? They're all components you'd need to build a Cosmic Treadmill."
"Do I want to know what that is?"
"It's a machine that uses kinetic energy to open quantum wormholes in space and time, which is a lot of power in the wrong hands."
"Yeah...I didn't."
-- Barry Allen and Kristen Kramer, The Flash -- "Rogues of War"

Hello again, everyone! It's time for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, DJ Nik and I return to The Fandom Zone to discuss "Rogues of War", the third episode of The Flash Season Nine, featuring Grant Gustin as The Flash/Barry Allen, Andy Mientus as Pied Piper, Javicia Leslie as The Red Death, and the introduction of Alexandria Wailes as Murmur!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik keeping me straight on my Oscar picks, why we didn't record "Hear No Evil" as planned, my grading The Flash on a very low bar since Eric Wallace became showrunner, wondering why Barry was involved in a DOD facility heist without wearing a mask to conceal his identity, wishing the Rogues on Barry's team were classic villains like Captain Cold and Heat Wave, some background on Khione in Greek mythology, some comics background on The Fiddler and Murmur, wondering how Murmur eats with his mouth sewn shut, Edgar Allan Poe being the OG goth icon, Nik loving Hartley because he's irritating, Hotness calling out Barry for not trusting the Rogues, Barry being a control freak yet again, why this group of Rogues works well with Barry, Chester getting the icy treatment from Allegra, Iris finally learning how to cook, wondering what Khione brings to the table as a character, my having a soft spot for the movie Sky High, why Iris needs to relax about not being having time to pursue her dreams after she becomes a mother, wishing we could've seen Chester talking to Luke Fox, how Red Death gets her Rogues to do what she wants, Chillblaine flipping from Team Flash to Team Red Death, the reveal of the Red Death's identity, my theory why Red Death wants to build a Cosmic Treadmill, our favorite quotes of the episode, watching Yellow Submarine on Drunk Cinema, waiting for Joe and Cecile's baby to appear "missing" on milk cartons, and more!

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

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Google Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
Stitcher -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on 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! 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 as DJ Nik and I discuss "The Mask of the Red Death, Part 1", the fourth episode of The Flash Season Nine, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!