Buzzn The Tower

One year ago today, Buzzn The Tower kicked off it’s podcast dominance with an episode dedicated to the songs that are inseparable from the films they debuted in. Today we pick up where we left off and add ten more musical masterpieces that were handcrafted for an 80s feature film. I’m Mo Shapiro and joining me as always the Loggins to my Kenny, Max Sanders. And with that…. DANGER ZONE!

It's that time, Christmas time is here. Everybody knows, there's not a better time of year. Clark, Ellen, Rusty, Audrey, in-laws, outlaws, and of course Cousin Eddie! This movie had it all. Today on Buzzn The Tower, we're gonna have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas as we deep dive into the holiday classic, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. So let's burn some dust and eat some rubber as we celebrate Santa with the Griswolds. I'm Mo Shapiro and joining me as always the Cousin Eddie to my Ellen Griswold, Max Sanders. And with that...Merry Christmas!

You know Dancer and Prancer…Wait! Stop right there. Sam Elliot, Cloris Leachman and Rebecca Tickell are seasonally responsible for making me cry and believing in Santa. Prancer by all accounts is a Christmas classic and today on Buzzn The Tower, we have the absolute honor of talking with Jessie Riggs herself, Rebecca Tickell. So please sit back, relax and enjoy a trip down Three Oaks Michigan Lane. I’m Mo Shapiro and joining me as always, the Carol Wetherby to my Jessie Riggs, Max Sanders. And with that… HE’S MAGICAL CAROL!

’Twas the night before Christmas and all through Nakatomi Plaza, not a creature was stirring… except John McClane’s wife played by Bonnie Bedelia. The explosives were wired to the rooftop with care, in hopes that the hostages would soon be there. McClane was bleeding and swearing like a trucker, but still had enough cheer to yell Yippie Kay Yay Mother….oh… hold on. The ultimate Christmas movie deserves the ultimate recasting, today on Buzzn The Tower we take the classic Christmas movie, Die Hard, and recast it with other actors from the 80s. I’m Mo Shapiro and joining me as always, the Ellis to my failed hostage negotiation, Max Sanders. And with that, come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs!

Very few people wield the unforgiving power of the white bearded man from The North. I mean, we’re talking about a guy who sees you when you're sleeping. Santa is one part Freddy Krueger, one part Judge Judy mixed in with some candy canes and holiday cheer. While children across the land make a desperate last minute attempt to make the nice list, we at Buzzn The Tower have a different take. Good does not exist without evil, so today Buzzn The Tower will celebrate our favorite 80s characters who maintained top billing on Santa’s naughty list. I’m Mo Shapiro and joining me as always, the mistletoe to my awkward kiss, Max Sanders. And with that, let’s check our list twice!

John Hughes is to Thanksgiving what Santa is to Christmas. You cannot think of turkey, stuffing, cranberries and a cross country road trip without joyfully visiting the 1987 classic: Planes, Trains & Automobiles. With Thanksgiving only two days away, we thought it would be best to dive into the Steve Martin/John Candy classic. So today on Buzzn The Tower adjust your seat as much as you need, drop some quarters in the vibrating bed, and allow Max and I to be your soft pillows as we revisit one of the best holiday movies ever. I’m Mo Shapiro and joining me as always, the Del Griffith to my Neal Page, Max Sanders.

'Tis the season for turkeys, pumpkin pie, potato latkes, fruitcake and family conflict. Every family has a dad that doesn’t believe he found a reindeer, a cousin that empties their sanitation line into your street sewer or a friend who runs a TV network and is having hallucinations of three ghosts. The holidays are a time for food, friends and family. But the friends and family part can get tricky. Today on Buzzn The Tower we try to solve for this issue by drafting the perfect holiday dinner party. We’ll select characters from our favorite 80s holiday movies and break bread with all of them while trying to keep the peace… on earth…. and goodwill etc etc. I’m Mo Shapiro, and joining me as always, the candied yams to my deep fried turkey, Max Sanders.

They say that there are two parts to every movie; the ending and everything else. Studios rely on test audiences, directors rely on their gut, and actors hope one of the two are right. A few weeks ago we covered our favorite intro scenes to 80s movies. Cobra, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Conan The Barbarian were a few that made that list. On today’s episode we’ll fast forward to the climax of 80s cinematic gold and produce a list of our favorite endings. I’m Mo Shapiro, and joining me as always, the last 3 minutes to my tight 90-minute masterpiece, Max Sanders. And with that, let’s start at the finish!

As Tina Turner toured and performed, she introduced us to a golden gem of a saxophone player by the name of Tim… Timmy to his friends. From there Tim went on to Miami Vice, Hearts of Fire, Tap, all types of opportunities to perform and act. But one decision defined him for generations to come. In 1987 Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys gave the world it’s first broad taste of the greased up shirtless muscular saxophone player known to all of us as sexy sax man. Often imitated never duplicated Tim Cappello set the stage for what would be an ongoing persona of what a saxophone player is and what a saxophone player should be. Lisa Simpson, Kenny G, Bill Clinton all did their best. But when we think of saxophone, we only think of one man. Today on Buzzn The Tower we are honored to have the opportunity to sit down with the man, the myth, the legend himself, Tim Cappello, and talk everything from Tina Turner to the time he was almost in Point Break! I’m Mo Shapiro and joining me for the first time, the Rockstar to my boardwalk beach bonfire, Tim Cappello. And with that, oh and I guess Max Sanders is here to, I STILL BELIEVE! 

In Part 1 we started building the world’s greatest 80s movie memorabilia collection. In Part 2 with the help of celebrity chef Graham Elliot, we added some rad items like the glaive from Krull, the WOPR computer from WarGames and the Auryn from The Neverending Story. Today in Part 3 we’re building out the museum to include our favorite keepsakes from 80s horror films. I’m Mo Shapiro and joining me as always, the white painted Shatner mask to my Halloween nightmare, Max Sanders. And with that, let’s build our collection!