New DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Trailer Features the Return of Kate Stewart & Melanie Bush

 
The Doctor promised that he would keep Belinda Chandra safe.

The BBC has released the full trailer for Doctor Who Season 2, better known as Series 15, featuring the return of Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and introducing Verada Sethu as incoming companion Belinda Chandra.

As the one-minute, 45-second trailer opens, we hear the Doctor say in a voiceover, "There are forces beyond this universe. We think we are so clever...but we're like children. And when these vast creatures look down on us, our entire reality is in danger."

We see Belinda waking up in her bed to a blinding object in the sky outside her window. This is followed by a group of soldiers in sleek, black spacesuits ordered to put on their helmets.

Next, we glimpse Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) walking down a dimly-lit hallway, followed by the Fifteenth Doctor in a very British bowler hat and suit, looking up at a gigantic animal skeleton somehow moving around like it's alive.

Interestingly, the next thing we see is a terrified Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) standing in the middle of a street at night as lights in the houses begin to flicker ominously.

"So, what's your name?" asks Belinda as she prepares an IV in a different scene.

"Just the Doctor," replies the Doctor, sporting a thicker hairstyle.

Belinda shrugs and says, "All right then, I'm called the Nurse."

We cut to Belinda, now inside the TARDIS console room. She looks around the large, cavernous room, staring up at image of Mundy Flynn, whom Sethu played in last season's episode "Boom." 

The Doctor says in another voiceover, "There is something already connecting us."

"This is a time machine," remarks Belinda.

The Doctor snaps his fingers and points at her, quipping "Boom!"

In a separate scene, Belinda tells the Doctor, "I am not one of your adventures. You need to get me home." As the TARDIS lurches, the Doctor informs her, "This might be the long way 'round."

Shifting to an episode set in the 1950s, Belinda tells the Doctor, "You're Scooby-Doo!"

"Honey, I'm Velma," retorts the Doctor.

In a quick montage of clips showing Belinda traveling with the Doctor, the Doctor says, "We are meant to voyage out there and own it." We see the two spacediving in the spacesuits from earlier and the Doctor remarks, "Girl, you are beginning to enjoy this!"

Next, we cut to a large auditorium, where a host steps onto the stage and announces, "Welcome to the Interstellar Song Contest," an obvious take on the Eurovision Song Contest. Belinda and the Doctor confirm that they're staying to watch, but so is the mysterious Mrs. Flood, played once again by Anita Dobson. "I love a good show!" she says to herself.

The trailer takes an even darker tone, as the Doctor states in another voiceover, "It's all a game to them...but the games are deadly."

Shifting to another scene, we hear the Doctor's previous companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) tell an unnamed man, "It wants you scared" as some sinister creatures loom in the shadows. When asked why, Ruby explains, "Because it likes the taste" as the creature begins to reach for the man's shoulder.

Cutting to what appears to be the Daleks' home planet of Skaro, the Doctor says to Belinda, "I promised that I would keep you safe."

"But you can't," replies Belinda as we see the Doctor ejected into space without a protective suit."

"I can," reassures the Doctor. "I will. I do. I will take you home..."

As the trailer music builds to a crescendo, we see a giant spider-like creature.

"...That is a promise."

If you'd like to view the new trailer for Doctor Who Season 2, you can check it out below thanks to the official Doctor Who account on YouTube...

Doctor Who returns to Disney+ for Season 2 on April 12, 2025.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 335: "Destiny of the Daleks" Is Up!

 
"Should we go back inside?"
"What?! And never know where I've been 'til the end of time? I wouldn't sleep at night. Come on!"
-- The Second Romana and the Fourth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Destiny 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're joined by special guest companion Holly Mac as we discuss "Destiny of the Daleks", the first serial from Doctor Who Season 17 in 1979, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, David Gooderson as Davros, and introducing Lalla Ward as the Second Romana!

In this episode, Jesse, Holly and I discuss things like Jesse using Doctor Who to help him get over the Luka Dončić trade, Jesse being warned about inconsistent regenerations, confusing "Destiny of the Daleks" with "Genesis of the Daleks", the Sarah Jane Smith audio series, Romana's regeneration establishing that a Time Lord can regenerate into the form of someone they previously met, "Destiny of the Daleks" being Daleks creator Terry Nation's last script because Douglas Adams rewrote 98% of the script, Michael Wisher being unavailable to reprise Davros, Tim Barlow being deaf at the time of filming, why K9 was written out of the serial with electronic laryngitis, the Fourth Doctor reading Oolon Colluphid's book The Origins of the Universe from Douglas Adams' classic novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Holly and me being overtaken by our respective Big Finish collections, Jesse having multiple questions about Romana's regeneration, Tom Baker and Lalla Ward getting married for a while, Romana not being a true equal of the Doctor like River Song, wanting to see the Movellans return again, the Daleks' plan to get Davros to help them beat the Movellans, the Daleks not accounting for the Fourth Doctor's unpredictability, our favorite quotes of the story,  new listener feedback from Dave Proctor and Sandi from Oregon, 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

And just in time for the new era of Doctor Who, we now have a BRAND NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic RIGHT HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "The Bells of Saint John", the sixth episode from Doctor Who Series 7 in 2013, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald, and the return of Richard E. Grant as the Great Intelligence!

DRUNK CINEMA 074: "The Silence of the Lambs" Is Up!

 
"Do you think that Jack Crawford wants you sexually? True, he is much older but do you think he visualizes scenarios, exchanges...fucking you?"
"That doesn't interest me, Doctor, and frankly, it's...it's the sort of thing that Miggs would say."
"Not anymore."
-- Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, The Silence of the Lambs

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 The Silence of the Lambs, the 1991 psychological horror thriller directed by Jonathan Demme, featuring Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford, and Ted Levine as Jame Gumb!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like Xan hooking us up with DEVO tickets, running down my Top 5 All-Time Favorite Movies, The Silence of the Lambs being released on Valentine's Day, Caged Heat being the Citizen Kane of women's prison movies, Silence being the second book in the novel series by Thomas Harris, Xan and I previously discussing this movie on Gold Standard: The Oscars Podcast, Scott Glenn creeping Xan out, Chris Isaak as Special Agent Chet Desmond in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Xan campaigning for The Substance at this year's Oscars, Dr. Lecter being Anthony Hopkins' definitive role, Demme's love of shots where the character is looking right at the camera, Clarice looking at her car and realizing that Lecter was absolutely dead-on in his analysis of her, Clarice looking for father figures, Buffalo Bill not being transgender, Xan crushing on Mark Knopfler, the film's accurate depiction of rural southwest Ohio, the scene where Lecter's eyes bore into your very soul, "Goodbye Horses" by Q Lazzarus, that awkward moment when Jack Crawford and the FBI storm the wrong house, new Drunk Mail from Aaron Case, finally getting For Your Eyes Only back on the schedule, and more!

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Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I watch For Your Eyes Only, the 1981 James Bond series espionage film directed by John Glen, featuring Roger Moore as James Bond, 

Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock, Chaim Topol as Milos Columbo, and Julian Glover as Aristotle Kristatos!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 334: "The Sontaran Stratagem" Is Up!

 
"And your name?"
"General Staal...of the Tenth Sontaran Fleet. Staal the Undefeated!"
"Aw, that's not a very good nickname. What if you do get defeated? Staal the Not-quite-so-undefeated-anymore-but-never-mind?"
-- The Tenth Doctor and General Staal, Doctor Who: "The Sontaran Stratagem"

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 "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky", the fourth and fifth episodes from Doctor Who Series Four in 2008, featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, along with the return of the Sontarans and Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like my writing a Titans story for DC Comics in their new anthology DC's Lex and the City #1, the four writers announced for Doctor Who Season 2, the explanation for where the Brigadier was during this story, Christopher Ryan as Mike Thecoolperson on The Young Ones, the first appearance of Dan Starkey as a Sontaran, the Sontarans returning after 28 years, writer Helen Raynor wanting to avoid a "handbags at dawn" scenario that rehashed Rose Tyler's meeting with Sarah Jane Smith in "School Reunion", the undramatic explosion of a UNIT jeep, Donna's mispronunciation of "Sontaran" being a reference to "The Time Warrior", Martha reunion with the Tenth Doctor, the Doctor's consistently inconsistent attitude toward guns, the "Are you my mummy?" gag that references "The Empty Child", the Doctor's surprise that Donna and Martha get along with one another, Sylvia still not knowing that Donna is traveling in the TARDIS, Sylvia having a common sense solution to save Wilf's life while the Doctor didn't, UNIT's Colonel Mace and Captain Price sharing a kiss, not wanting to recast the Brigadier for live-action, Luke Rattigan being inevitably betrayed by the Sontarans, wondering why Luke sacrificed his life to save the Doctor's, Freema Agyeman getting to play an evil clone of Martha Jones, wondering how the Doctor knew igniting the upper atmosphere would work instead of setting the Earth on fire, our favorite quotes of the story, new listener feedback from Holly Mac and Sandi from Oregon, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology, Jesse having to watch another Dalek 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

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

And just in time for the new era of Doctor Who, we now have a BRAND NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic RIGHT HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "Destiny of the Daleks", the first serial from Doctor Who Season 17 in 1979, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, David Gooderson as Davros, and introducing Lalla Ward as the Second Romana!

First THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Trailer Teases Galactus

Welcome to the Baxter Building.

Marvel Studios has released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, based on the Marvel Comics superteam created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

In the film, on a 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic Earth, the Fantastic Four must protect their home from being devoured by the cosmic being Galactus and his enigmatic herald, the Silver Surfer.

The 90-second teaser trailer opens with Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) introducing someone to their home in the Baxter Building. "We make a point to do family dinner every week, Sunday at seven, on the dot, no matter what. We're all here."

We then see an exterior shot of the retro-futuristic Baxter Building, with the team's "4" logo at the top. Inside, The Thing/Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) asks the team's robot helper H.E.R.B.I.E. about the status of spaghetti sauce that's being prepared in the kitchen. After taste testing the sauce, the Thing tells H.E.R.B.I.E., "I wanna add a couple cloves of garlic, not because it's not delicious. I just wanna add a little bit of zip, okay?"

As a countdown begins, we flash back to the team's mission to space where they received the powers, with Reed working out calculations on a blackboard, the team posing for pictures in their spacesuits, and the actual rocket launch.

In bed, Reed says to Sue, "Before we went up the first time, you couldn't turn invisible, Ben wasn't a rock, and Johnny never caught fire."

We see the Thing sadly looking at a television in a store window, watching himself before his physical transformation into an orange rock monster. "Best pilot in the world right here," Reed says to the camera. "Yeah," Ben replies to the camera, "best-looking he means."

Next, we glimpse the Human Torch/Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) catching fire and blazing off into the night sky. 

Back to the conversation between Reed and Sue, Sue tells him, "Ben has always been a rock, Johnny is...Johnny, and I'm right here." As we glimpse Johnny flying up into the upper atmosphere until his flame cuts out from lack of oxygen, Sue continues, "Whatever life throws at us, we'll face it together...as a family."

Various fleeting images follow, including the Four watching something explode in the night sky over Manhattan from their balcony, a sleek FantastiCar automobile racing through the streets, John Malkovich stepping into view with long hair and a beard, the back of Galactus' head as he looks down at the Statue of Liberty, and the costumed Fantastic Four inside what appears to be a TV studio set.

If you'd like to watch the teaser trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official Marvel Entertainment account on YouTube...

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 25, 2025.

DRUNK CINEMA 073: "Blue Velvet" Is Up!

 
"It's a strange world, isn't it?"
-- Jeffrey Beaumont, Blue Velvet

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, we pay tribute to legendary director David Lynch by watching Blue Velvet, the 1986 neo-noir mystery thriller directed by Lynch, featuring Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey Beaumont, Laura Dern as Sandy Williams, Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy Vallens, and Dennis Hooper as Frank Booth!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like ugly crying in the Drunk Cinema Theater, admiring our mutual friend Jesse Jackson for keeping focused, Xan and I being friends and sort-of family because of David Lynch, my being thankful that Xan agreed to do Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast with me, both of us not wanting to hook my Dad up with Xan's mom, Blue Velvet being the prototype of Twin Peaks, my identifying with Lynch's love of small towns, David Lynch exploring the dark underbelly of Americana, a special appearance by my cat Desire, Lynch being diagnosed with emphysema, David Lynch as Gus the bartender on The Cleveland Show, the various celebrity tributes after Lynch's passing, why '80s high schoolers in Blue Velvet dress like they're in the 1950s, the Yellow Man being a Century 21 realtor, Jeffrey watching Dorothy undress while hiding in her closet, Frank's various psychological issues, Roy Orbison not wanting "In Dreams" to be used in Blue Velvet, Lynch's love of speeding highway POV shots, Julee Cruise's "Mysteries of Love", Sandy's justifiable slap to Jeffrey's face, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski, my upcoming story for DC Comics, our next unconventional Valentine's Day movie, 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
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Drunk Cinema's Facebook Page

Drunk Cinema's Twitter Account

Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I watch The Silence of the Lambs, the 1991 psychological horror thriller directed by Jonathan Demme, featuring Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford, and Ted Levine as Jame Gumb!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 333: "Frontier in Space" Is Up!

 
"We are about to enter hyperdrive and return to our base. Do not fail the Daleks!"
"Right, we'll see who rules the galaxy when this is over. 'Do not fail the Daleks', indeed. You stupid tin boxes."
-- Dalek Voice and the First Master, Doctor Who: "Frontier in Space"

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 "Frontier in Space", the third serial from Doctor Who Season 10 in 1973, featuring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, Katy Manning as Jo Grant, and the final appearance of Roger Delgado as the First Master!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like my Ohio State Buckeyes laying the beatdown on Jesse's Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoffs, "Frontier in Space" not kicking in until the Master showed up, the story ending on a cliffhanger for "Planet of the Daleks", the tragic death of Roger Delgado, original plans for the Master to have a final encounter in the scrapped serial "The Final Game", the original plans for the Cybermen to appear in "Frontier in Space" instead of the Ogrons, the original plans for "Frontier in Space" and "Planet of the Daleks" to be one 12-part serial, director Paul Bernard omitting the giant Ogron-eating monster, the Draconians being Jon Pertwee's favorite Doctor Who monster, the Ogron stuntmen being asked to move homeless people and drunks so filming could proceed, Jesse liking the Third Doctor and Jo's chemistry, the Third Doctor overloading the mind probe, the Master reading H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, Jo resisting the Master's hypnotism by reciting nursery rhymes, the Doctor not being at all concerned that he's in prison, the Third Doctor as a moral crusader, the Doctor realizing that he needed to contact the Time Lords, the female President of Earth, General Williams being more misguided than evil, wondering why the Master would use the dimwitted Ogrons as henchmen, the Master planning to betray the Daleks once they take control of Earth, our favorite quotes of the story, new listener feedback from Holly Mac and Sandi from Oregon, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology DC's Lex and the City #1, our upcoming schedule the first third of 2025, trying to persuade DJ Nik and Xan Sprouse to join us for upcoming episodes, 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

And just in time for the new era of Doctor Who, we now have a BRAND NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic RIGHT HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky", the fourth and fifth episodes from Doctor Who Series Four in 2008, featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, along with the return of the Sontarans and Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones!

The Titans Return to Happy Harbor in DC'S LEX AND THE CITY #1

 
If you ever get up to Happy Harbor, the cherry pie is worth a stop.

My second DC Universe story for DC Comics, "Together Again", was released this week as part of DC's new Valentine's Day anthology DC's Lex and the City #1. Featuring art by Serg Acuña, colors by Alex Guimarães, and lettering by Josh Reed, "Together Again" has four original members of the Teen Titans -- now adult Titans -- spending a guys' weekend in the wonderful and strange town of Happy Harbor, Rhode Island.

Returning to the Double H Diner, their former refuge from being teenaged superheroes, Dick Grayson, Wally West, Roy Harper, and Garth Curry reminisce about the original weekend they spent as teenagers helping the Justice League move from the League's original Secret Sanctuary headquarters hidden inside Mount Fox in Happy Harbor. However, it turns out Dick Grayson has an ulterior motive for the guys' weekend, involving a towering Kaiju monster named Raxodon.

Here's the official solicitation for DC's Lex and the City #1...

AS SUPERMAN FLEW AWAY YET AGAIN, I HAD TO WONDER…WAS I TRYING TO DESTROY HIM, OR WAS HE DESTROYING ME? Written by Brendan Hay, Sina Grace, Dave Wielgosz, Charles Skaggs, Callie C. Miller, Maggie Tokuda-Hall and More Art by Howard Porter, Serg Acuna, Stephen Byrne, Lisa Sterle, Leslie Hung, and More

It's Valentine's Day, which means that love and heartbreak are sweeping every city in the DCU! This anthology collects eight stories of heroes and villains looking for love in the big city (which practically feels like its own character!). Lex Luthor laments over the one that got away–the big, ever-elusive Metropolitan man, Superman! Raven and Beast Boy embark on a romantic scavenger hunt across San Francisco (which just might be a trap)! And Damian Wayne runs a dating-advice gauntlet through Gotham City, organized by none other than the dating master himself, Tim Drake! Gather your pals, pour yourself a cosmo, and hit your nearest comic shop–DC'S LEX & THE CITY is coming this January!

DC's Lex and the City #1 can be found at your local comic shop or digitally on Amazon.com!

THE FANDOM ZONE 313: "A Very Funny Monster" Is Up!

 
"First, you seduced Flag to get him on your side. Then, after we captured Circe, you suggested we kill her. That would’ve taken care of everything, but Flag, despite him being an old rube hung up on your charms, refused, so you sent on of your knights to spy on us. He must’ve seen McPherson visit Waller, someone you’d know would back up Cersei’s story, so you’re only choice was to get your friend Clayface to make it look like she wasn’t who she was, even though she was who she was when she and Waller spoke."
"This is all nonsense."
"Malarkey. You were who Circe said you were all along, a power-mad, sadistic, narcissistic Disney princess who wants to destroy the world, but I want you to know, I’m not going to kill you because you’re going to cause World War III and I’m not doing it to save the world. I mean, what has this ball of dirt ever done for me? No, Ilana, I’m killing you because you took the life of the only friend I have, and the only one of us with an ounce of kindness in her veins."
-- The Bride and Ilana Rostovic, Creature Commandos -- "A Very Funny Monster"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "A Very Funny Monster", the Creature Commandos Season One finale, starring the voices of of Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Ohio State heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship, whether Season One stuck the landing, wondering how the Bride pieced everything together so completely, Gregg Henry as Grandpa Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy, some comics background on Nina Mazursky, the homage to Creature from the Black Lagoon, Nina's mother being a hot piece of garbage, Nina's father being the only person in Nina's life that cared about her, the Bride's really fast takedown of Eric Frankenstein, the Bride manipulating Nina to swim out and kill Ilana, Rick Flag Sr. waking up from his coma, Weasel becoming a hero to Pokolistan, the Bride's Columbo moment with Ilana, The Bride only caring about getting revenge on Ilana for killing Nina, the welcome return of G.I. Robot, the Bride leading the new team of Creature Commandos for Season 2, Gail Simone writing King Shark in Secret Six, Gail Simone's cameo as Principal Gail, the post-credits scene with Eric and another old Pokolistan woman, our favorite quotes of the episode, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology DC's Lex and the City, our upcoming discussions of Daredevil: Born Again, and more! 

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

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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 in March when DJ Nik and I discuss the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

DRUNK CINEMA 072: "Tron" Is Up!

 
"You've got to expect some static. After all, computers are just machines -- They can't think."
"Some programs will be thinking soon."
"Won't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop."
-- Dr. Walter Gibbs and Alan Bradley, Tron

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 Tron, the 1982 science fiction action film directed by Steven Lisberger, featuring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn/Clu, Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley/Tron, Cindy Morgan as Dr. Lora Baines/Yori, and David Warner as Ed Dillinger/Sark/MCP!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like Central Ohio freezing while Los Angeles is burning, Tron being the first CGI feature film, Tron capturing my imagination when I first saw it in the theater, Xan having cooler Tron memorabilia than I do, Kathy Bates in the new Matlock, the two Babylon 5 cast members appearing in Tron, Xan lobbying for The Fall Guy movie, our previous discussion of Tron on Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast, Tron losing the Oscar for Best Costume Design to Gandhi, the score by Wendy Carlos, Xan's recent trip to the hospital in an ambulance, Clu being the Big Bad of Tron: Legacy, Xan's great Bruce Boxleitner story, Kevin Flynn being like Steve Jobs to Alan Bradley's Bill Gates, the World Domination Game in Never Say Never Again, Tron, Yori and Flynn being like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo, the slowly-derezzing Solar Sailer, Xan being scared by Giant Sark, new Drunk Mail from Dave Proctor and Christine Peruski, my upcoming story for DC Comics, our original plan to discuss For Your Eyes Only, 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

Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I pay tribute to the late David Lynch by watching Blue Velvet, the 1986 neo-noir mystery thriller directed by Lynch, featuring Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey Beaumont, Laura Dern as Sandy Williams, Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy Vallens, and Dennis Hooper as Frank Booth!

LANTERNS Casts Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro

 
Ulrich Thomsen, you have the ability to instill great fear.

Deadline has reported that the upcoming HBO series Lanterns, based on the DC Comics Green Lantern characters, has cast Ulrich Thomsen as the supervillain Sinestro. Thomsen joins Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, Garret Dillahunt as William Macon, and Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe.

The article describes Sinestro as "a former Green Lantern who turned rogue and is described as ruthless yet undeniably charming. Sinestro’s manipulative nature drives his enduring obsession with his former mentee, Hal Jordan."

Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

Thomsen, 61, is a Danish actor probably best known as Kai Proctor in the Cinemax series Banshee. He's appeared in the films The World Is Not Enough, Kingdom of Heaven, Hitman, and The Thing (2011). In addition, he's appeared in episodes of Alias, Fringe, The Blacklist, and The New Pope.

Created in 1961 by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro first appeared in Green Lantern (vol.2) #7 as Thaal Sinestro, who was born on the planet Korugar in space sector 1417. His dedication to preserving order originally manifested in his previous career, an anthropologist specializing in the reconstruction of ancient Korugan civilizations. One day, Green Lantern Prohl Gosgotha crash-landed near him, injured and apparently dying. Prohl gave his ring to Sinestro, who barely understood what to do with it before coming under attack from the Lantern's pursuer, a Weaponer of Qward. In the end, Sinestro had to destroy the ruins he was restoring to crush the Qwardian. Afterwards, Gosgotha turned out to still be alive and asked for his ring back so he could summon help. Addicted to the ring's immense power, Sinestro let him die and convinced the Guardians that the ring chose him as Gosgotha's successor.

When Hal Jordan joined the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro, now a seasoned and respected Lantern, was assigned to be his instructor. Jordan was horrified at his new mentor's totalitarian methods, though Sinestro maintained that he was only doing what he considered necessary to protect Korugar. During his training, Jordan helped Sinestro repel an attempted invasion by the alien warlords known as the Khunds. When Jordan disobeyed orders and contacted the Lanterns for help, Sinestro's dictatorship was exposed, and he was forced to appear before the Guardians for punishment.

For using the power of the Green Lantern to instill fear rather than combat it, the Guardians banished Sinestro to the antimatter world of Qward, that universe's counterpart of the Guardians' homeworld Oa. Qward was ruled by the Weaponers of Qward, a race of warriors and scientists that hold a fierce hatred of the Guardians and all Green Lanterns. However, Sinestro quickly seized the opportunity, persuading the Weaponers that he could use his knowledge of the Corps to destroy them for good. Creating a yellow power ring for Sinestro to use, the Weaponers sent him back to the "positive matter" universe to seek revenge. Sinestro quickly became the Green Lantern Corps' most powerful nemesis, partially due to a weakness in their power rings that prevented them from directly affecting the color yellow. Despite this, skilled Green Lanterns like Jordan, Sinestro's most hated enemy, always found ways to defeat him.

Thomsen will be the third actor to portray Sinestro in live-action, after Charlie Callas in the TV special Legends of the Superheroes and Mark Strong in the 2011 film Green Lantern. 

Lanterns is expected to debut on HBO sometime in 2026.

THE FANDOM ZONE 312: "Priyatel Skelet" Is Up!

 
"Um...Maybe we can make it, like, fun? You know, do something to pass the time. Do you guys have Scattergories?"
-- Nina Mazursky, Creature Commandos -- "Priyatel Skelet"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Priyatel Skelet", the sixth episode from Creature Commandos Season One, starring the voices of Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Indira Varma as The Bride, and Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik awaiting the Supercoppa Italiana, the adaptation of Dr. Phosphorus' origin living up to Nik's expectations, Nik waiting for the Commandos to get to the bloody castle, wondering what a podcast with Shohreh Aghdashloo and Con O'Neill would be like, some comics background on Doctor Phosphorus and Rupert Thorne, the Bride and Nina Mazursky taking refuge in a brothel, wondering if Rick Flag Sr. can be rebuilt like the Six Million Dollar Man, Weasel playing fetch with a pack of wolves that were about to kill him, worrying about Weasel trying to protect Princess Ilana, Dr. Phosphorus getting framed by Rupert Thorne for the murder of his own wife and son, James Gunn making the Creature Commandos sympathetic, the first appearance of Batman in the new DC Universe, wondering how Dr. Phosphorus practiced his dance choreography with his henchmen, the Bride's owning move of literally ripping her enemy's heart and showing it to him before crushing it in her hand, cats having to look cool and not show that they care about you, that awkward moment when Yana's parents show up and find her hanging out with Dr. Phosphorus, our favorite quotes of the episode, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology DC's Lex and the City, Nik's recent appearance on Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast, wondering if Nina's backstory will be the most dark and tragic, 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 when DJ Nik and I discuss "A Very Funny Monster", the Creature Commandos Season One finale, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 332: "Joy to the World" Is Up!

 
"No, no! How does this work? How do I get to be you?"
"The long way 'round."
"Yes, but how long?!"
"You'll find out."
"What do I do, where do I go?!"
"You will find out."
"Oh, do you see?! That is why nobody likes you! You have to be mysterious all the time! That's why everyone leaves you! That is why you’re always alone!"
-- The Fifteenth Doctor and the Future Fifteenth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Joy to the World"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back for another new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast! This time, we're joined by special guest companions DJ Nik and Holly Mac as we discuss "Joy to the World", the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas Special, featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, Nicola Coughlan as Joy Almondo, and Steph de Whalley as Anita Benn!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like spending New Year's Day talking new Doctor Who, Almondo meaning "to the world" in Italian, Jesse's reaction to getting another new Doctor Who Christmas Special, Nicola Coughlan being underused as the special guest, Anita being a more interesting character than Joy, Jonathan Aris as Philip Anderson on Sherlock, being surprised by Ruby Sunday's cameo, Russell T Davies asking Steven Moffat to fill in and write the 2024 Christmas Special from scratch, Sylvia Trench being named after James Bond's first love interest in Dr. No and From Russia With Love, Joy's mother staying in the same hospital where the Tenth Doctor met Martha Jones in "Smith and Jones", Ncuti Gatwa having a "million dollar smile", how I would've changed the script so the Doctor brought the "Chair Night" chair into the TARDIS Console Room, wondering why the Doctor didn't question the concept of the Time Hotel potentially messing with history, Moffat's shot at PartyGate during the COVID-19 lockdown, Jesse thinking "The Christmas Invasion" wasn't Christmassy enough, the Doctor being verbally abusive to Joy to snap her out of her trance, my thinking that Joy Almondo should meet Astrid Peth as stars travelling the cosmos, the T. Rex being the MVP of the episode, the Doctor spending an entire year at the Sandringham Hotel with Anita Benn, the fan theory that Anita Benn could be Mrs. Flood, wondering why the Fifteenth Doctor didn't try to contact the Fourteenth Doctor for help, wondering what purpose the Villengard Corporation wanted a star for, our favorite quotes of the story, new listener feedback from Dave Proctor, Megan Stover and Sandi from Oregon, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology DC's Lex and the City #1, the final appearance of Roger Delgado as the First Master, and more!

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And just in time for the new era of Doctor Who, we now have a BRAND NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic RIGHT HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "Frontier in Space", the third serial from Doctor Who Season 10 in 1973, featuring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, Katy Manning as Jo Grant, and the final appearance of Roger Delgado as the First Master!

David Lynch, Visionary Filmmaker and Director of TWIN PEAKS, Dies at 78

 
And now it's dark.

David Lynch, the visionary director, writer and actor whose imagination and creativity explored places both wonderful and strange, died today at the age of 78.

Lynch's family announced his death in a Facebook post, following the announcement last year that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after a lifetime of smoking, and would likely not be able to leave his house to direct any longer.

Lynch received critical acclaim for his films, which are often distinguished by their surrealist, dreamlike qualities.  His first feature-length film was the independent surrealist film Eraserhead (1977), which found success as a midnight movie. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for the biographical drama The Elephant Man (1980), Best Director for the neo-noir thriller Blue Velvet (1986), and Best Director for the surrealist mystery Mulholland Drive (2001). His romantic crime drama Wild at Heart (1990) won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In addition, he also directed the space opera adaptation Dune (1984), the surrealist neo-noir Lost Highway (1997), the biographical drama The Straight Story (1999), and the experimental film Inland Empire (2006). In 2019, Lynch was given the Academy Honorary Award at the Academy Awards for "for fearlessly breaking boundaries in pursuit of his singular cinematic vision."

Lynch and Mark Frost created the ABC series Twin Peaks (1990–91), which was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Lynch co-wrote and directed its film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), and its revival series Twin Peaks: The Return (2017). The revival was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Movie. In addition to directing the series, Lynch also portrayed FBI Deputy Director Gordon Cole, Special Agent Dale Cooper's supervisor.

In a post on Instagram, Twin Peaks, Dune and Blue Velvet star Kyle MacLachlan remarked, "David was in tune with the universe and his own imagination on a level that seemed to be the best version of human. He was not interested in answers because he understood that questions are the drive that make us who we are. They are our breath. While the world has lost a remarkable artist, I’ve lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own."