Let's Talk Ten

Dan loves awards shows -- while simultaneously considering them utterly ridiculous.  Too often, the "academies" reward the old tried-and-true over the innovators and young upstarts.  Case in point: the year 1994, when the Recording Academy chose Tony Bennett's "MTV Unplugged" as its Album of the Year, over such competition as Nirvana, TLC, Oasis, Nas, and Hootie & the Blowfish.  A total miscarriage of justice, right?  

Or was it?   Dan realized that he had never actually listened to " Tony Bennett: MTV Unplugged", who was he to judge?  

For this mini-episode, Dan does give album, and lots of music from 1994, its fair shot, hoping to decide for himself whether or not Tony Bennett truly deserved his Album of the Year award.  He talks about that experience...and a whole lot more.

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Dan Fisher's guest is MICHELE MANTYNEN,  one of the "Social Media Poobahs" for Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast.  She has helped to generate continuing interest in the show and to expand its  internet presence, even after the passing of its amazing, colossal, legendary host.  Thanks to the efforts of Michele and many others, the spirit of Gilbert lives on through through this online community of devoted and decidedly off-kilter fans (including Dan).

A self-professed "foodie" as well as an obsessive of all things pop-cultural, Michele proposed this topic of classic television episodes that center around eating and food. The conversation is fun-filled and in good taste  -- and as always, cooked up without a script and with no discussion beforehand.  

What'll be our Number Ones?   Let's just call it the Chef's Surprise.

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Minis will drop every other Monday, alternating with the regular-length "Let's Talk Ten" episodes.

Dan Fisher loves cereal more than most people -- for him, it's a 24/7 dietary staple.   He'll sit there crunching away, gulping the remaining milk from the bowl, while he reads  every word on the box -- though he no longer digs around for the prize.

In this episode, Dan hosts a brief history of breakfast cereal mascots -- Tony the Tiger, Cap'n Crunch, Count Chocula, and a whole lot more -- with personal reminiscences and plenty of fun trivia.  For extra fun, pour yourself a part-of-a-nutritious-breakfast bowl of Frosted Flakes or Cap'n Crunch while you listen.

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Robyn Kincaid was one of Dan's best friends in college.  She has been hosting her own live, five-nights-a-week podcast, "Head-ON with Robyn Kincaid" for over a decade, on which Dan has been an occasional guest.

Now, it's Robyn's turn.  With no script and no discussion beforehand, Dan and Robyn have a blast comparing their favorite pop songs that focus on the legendary lives of movie stars, gangsters, famous artists, rock and rollers, Russian generals, and other celebrated folk.

What'll be our Number Ones?  Listen and learn.

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Minis will drop every other Monday, alternating with the regular-length "Let's Talk Ten" episodes.

For some Minis, host Dan Fisher might talk about a single movie, show, or album that had a particularly strong effect on him.  Some might feature guests, with  shorter and more specific conversations on a single subject instead of LT10's standard format of 10 Favorite Whatevers.   

For Mini-Episode #1, Dan expresses his gratitude to the audience then launches into a near-religious fervor about the power and importance of popular culture.  He also reveals some notable omissions from our previous episode, Strong Women In Film.

FINALLY:  Varying  monthly subscription levels to help support this podcast, and what 
Dan can offer subscribers in return.  (All episodes are free to all listeners, of course, regardless of subscription status.)

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H.E. Fisher is the author of two published books of poetry, "Sterile Field" and "Jane Almost Always Smiles."  She also happens to be married to the host of this show.

With no script and no discussion beforehand, Helene and Dan have fun comparing Top Ten lists of their favorite strong women characters through cinema history.

What does that even mean, "strong"?  How do we define that term?   How  come so many of these characters  are moms?  Or are shown toting guns?  Or are gun-toting moms?  

And, as Casey Kasem might ask, what are our Number Ones?

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