When two of the most influential figures in film become the personal hostages of Kim Jong Il, they have two objectives: to elevate North Korean cinema on the world stage, and to plot their daring escape. 

SOURCES + FURTHER READING/LISTENING/VIEWING

A Kim Jong-Il Production, by Paul Fisher
The Observant, by Ravi Mangla
Michelle Cho, assistant professor, University of Toronto
"Are You There Godzilla? It's Me, Kim Jong Il" [Ridiculous Crime podcast]
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, U.S. State Department
Big Brother: North Korea's Forgotten Prince [An iHeart Original Podcast]
"Kim Jong Il, the Director he Kidnapped, and the Awful Godzilla Film They Made Together" [Mental Floss Magazine]
The Korean War [PBS]

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Adrien Behn and edited by Carmen Borca-Carrillo at Wonder Media Network
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On August 26, 1965, LBJ issued a surprise executive order eliminating marriage as grounds for deferment from the Vietnam draft. The unexpected announcement set off a panic across the country. But if you could somehow get married before midnight, you might be in the clear. The problem was, nearly every state required blood tests or a waiting period — every state, that is, except Nevada. 

Ride shotgun with Dana on the mad dash to Vegas. And join the gang on welcoming a new member to the Very Special family!

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Very Special thanks to the talented filmmaker Ashton Avila, who shared her invaluable research and contacts from making her short film "I Got You Babe." Go check it out!

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

See you next week!

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Hi, Big Brother Fans! We want to share a new season of SNAFU with Ed Helms.   

About the show: This is the story of Prohibition you haven't heard. Sure, Prohibition was a gigantic SNAFU to begin with. But it turns out Prohibition was actually darker than any of us could have imagined. Flappers and jazz? Not the full picture.

Season 3 of SNAFU follows an unlikely pair of sleuths trying to uncover what was behind a mass wave of deadly poisonings that killed thousands of people during Prohibition. Why were so many people dying when they imbibed? And what do gun-slinging Prohibition agents, Washington politicians, and a raging culture war have to do with it? Find out on SNAFU Season 3: Formula 6. 

Listen here and subscribe to SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Deep in the Utah desert is a tiny, tiny, tiny nation: The Republic of Zaqistan. Guarded by robots, Zaqistan nonetheless welcomed new citizens for more than 15 years - until it fell into ruins. Now the eponymous founder wants to rebuild. Join hosts Ryan Murdock, Gabbie Watts and Zaron Burnett on a journey to uncharted territory … to the nation of Zaqistan…and the upside-down world of micronations. 

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In late 1998, a furry, nonsense-babbling creature arrived on the toy scene. The Furby could squeal, snore, sneeze, and … learn to speak English? Immediately upon release, thousands were backordered. Fights broke out in stores. The early internet lit up with conspiracy theories. And Furby was actually banned from the National Security Agency for its alleged potential for espionage. For today’s episode, we partnered with Celia Aniskovich’s Dial Tone Films to tell the ultimate toy story. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s heavyweight title fight is considered one of the greatest sporting events of all time. What’s less well known is that five weeks earlier in the very same stadium, James Brown headlined an epic, three-day long, pre-fight music festival. Rumble braids together both boxing and music history for a compelling account of Muhammad Ali’s growth into both The People’s Champ and the GOAT. For his first title fight, he takes on the “bad man” Sonny Liston.

REFERENCE BOOKS:

Ali: The Greatest, My Own Story by Muhammad Ali

Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig

Rumble In the Jungle by Lewis Erenberg

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Hi Big Brother Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of season two of SNAFU: MEDBURG with Ed Helms. 

About the show: Hosted by Ed Helms, SNAFU is a podcast about history’s greatest screw-ups. In Season 1, Ed digs into a story he can't stop thinking about: Able Archer 83, a 1983 NATO military exercise meant to prepare us for nuclear war that almost mistakenly started one. This story has a colorful cast of characters: from Ronald Reagan, to two treasonous spies, to a dauntless sleuth determined to get to the bottom of what really happened and why nobody knows about it. Ultimately, SNAFU is about nuclear paranoia and political mind games – and how fear and misunderstanding can propel us into disastrous circumstances.

Listen here and subscribe to SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

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The Medal of Honor is the United States’ highest military award. It is awarded for bravery in combat that goes far above and beyond the call of duty– those acts of heroism and courage that save lives despite impossible risk.

Since its inception in 1861, at the outset of the Civil War, more than 3,500 people have received the Medal of Honor. This podcast is about those heroes. What they did. What it meant. And what their stories tell us about the nature of sacrifice– and about ourselves.

Listen here or on the iHeartRadio App.

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The 1904 St. Louis Olympics featured the strangest sporting event in history. During the marathon, runners paused for naps, got chased by dogs, went apple picking, and doped with rat poison — all while being unwitting participants in a cruel scientific experiment.

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Thanks for listening! Our next episode comes out Wednesday, June 26th.

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Lucas Reilly
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design: Emily Marinoff
Mixing and Mastering: Baheed Frazier
Story Editor: Marisa Brown
Research and Fact-Checking: Austin Thompson and Lucas Reilly
Medal-Worthy Voice-Acting: Karl Keadle and Josh Fisher
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer: Jason English

Want to email the show? Go for it. You can reach us at [email protected]. 

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From the fall of the Taliban until its return, people all over Afghanistan planned their lives around Afghan Star. People would pack into apartments. Villages would hook up generators to a single tv so crowds could watch. New Year’s celebrations would come to a halt, all to watch this one show. Over its 15 seasons, Afghan Star spotlighted an Afghanistan that could be: women singing without hijabs, Afghanistan’s first rapper, people of warring ethnic groups hugging and cheering for each other on stage. And it launched a cultural revolution. This is the story behind it all– from how a ragtag team scrambled to make the show every week, to the dangers they faced for trying to push the country forward. In Afghanistan, a cultural revolution was televised through a musical talent show, and this is its story. Hosted by John Legend.

Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app. 

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