Mt. Rushmore Podcast

Happy holidays! No matter which tradition you celebrate, there's one thing that is universal – you'll desperately need a reason to get away from your family before you murder someone. But there are also several things that are very specific to Christmas. So hang up the mistletoe and make a bowl of figgy pudding (actually, don't), as we're tackling Christmas icons and characters.

As the year comes to an end, we want to thank you for listening to our show. And if you want to give us a nice present, the No. 1 thing on our list is a review on iTunes, Stitcher or your other favorite pod listener. Or you can send us a lump of coal, via fax.

SHOW NOTES

1:58 – Yukon Cornelius from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

5:30 – Santa Claus

11:37 – Elf on the Shelf

16:57 – Krampus

23:10 – Ebenezer Scrooge from "A Christmas Carol"

34:23 – The Leg Lamp from "A Christmas Story"

38:22 – John McClane from "Die Hard"

44:18 – The Tree from "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Call them the Great Pretenders; some people try to become someone else because they are pulling a con; others do it as a joke, or for reasons that no one can imagine. But one thing is for sure: these people's fake lives are probably way more interesting than your real life.

This week we're talking about some of the biggest impostors, both real and fictional. There's a good chance that Jeff is back to judging while Richard and Michael are debating, but really, can you be too sure?

SHOW NOTES

2:10 - Faker from "He-Man and The Masters of the Universe" (Michael's Choice) 8:38 - Barry Bremen aka "The Great Imposter" of sports (Richard's Choice) 17:22 - Milli Vanilli (Michael's Choice) 25:01 - Iron Eyes Cody aka "The Crying Indian" (Richard's Choice) 33:30 - Frank Abangale Jr. (Michael's Choice) 41:36 - Sarah Emma Edmons - impersonated male soldier during Civil War (Richard's Choice) 47:25 - Danny Kaye in "The Court Jester" (Michael's Choice) 51:14 - Mamoru Samuragochi - deaf composer allegedly neither deaf nor a composer (Richard's Choice)

We're almost two seasons into the podcast, so you know what that means! Contract disputes, movie offers and a cast that loathes each other. Well, at least the last one. But if this was a sitcom, we'd be getting pretty close to the time where one of the stars leaves and the producers have to scramble to replace them.

While it's the three same bozos as usual, we have mixed things up a bit – this week Michael has slipped on the stylish-yet-comfortable judge's robe, while Jeff is going mano-a-mano with Richard for Rushmore supremacy.

Join us next week when Jeff either is back to judging or replaced by Ted McGinley.

SHOW NOTES

3:50 - Rebecca Howe from "Cheers" (Richard's Choice) 10:20 - Warren Ferguson from "The Andy Griffith Show" (Jeff's Choice) 14:13 - Cousin Oliver from "The Brady Bunch" (Richard's Choice) 18:18 - Coy and Vance Duke from "The Dukes of Hazzard" (Jeff's Choice) 25:15 - Charles Emerson Winchester from "M*A*S*H*" (Richard's Choice) 31:03 - Scrappy-Doo from "Scooby-Doo" (Jeff's Choice) 35:45 - Multiple Replacement Chrissies from "Three's Company" (Richard's Choice) 43:35 - Barnabas Collins from "Dark Shadows" (Jeff's Choice)

When you think of Florida, you probably think of the most ridiculous news story imaginable, involving skeevy people with large criminal records but a small amount of teeth doing things like almost blowing up an ICU by trying to smoke crack or biting off a man's ear because he wouldn't give him a cigarette. (Both true stories.)

Florida is that, but also so much more. This week we discuss and debate the beautiful weirdness that makes Florida a state we love and perhaps sometimes would like to saw off the rest of the US ala Bugs Bunny.

And it's Part One of our Mix-Up Episodes. This week it's Michael and Jeff doing the debating, while Richard feels the immense power trip of judging and tries to legally marry Jeff to his cat.

SHOW NOTES

2:39 – Miami's Art Deco (Michael's Choice) 5:28 – "Florida Man" (Joint Choice) 12:49 – Cocoa Beach (Jeff's Choice) 19:15 – Okefenokee Swamp (Michael's Choice) 24:04 – Walt Disney World (Jeff's Choice) 34:44 – "Floridada" by Animal Collective (Michael's Choice)

This Thanksgiving, celebrate a topic which is bound to generate more consensus around the dinner table with your questionable uncle... Wait! Whose side of the family is he from now?... than a certain spray-tanned, uncouth, scumbag of a president will with the Mt. Rushmore of Guys in Drag.

From RuPaul to Divine to Dave Foley doing his best work on The Kids in the Hall while wearing a dress, we try to cover the spectrum of men who have donned a frock for entertainment.

When's the last time that you bought a movie soundtrack album. OK, trick question: no one buys albums anymore. But if you did, it probably wouldn't be a soundtrack, because the movie soundtrack is a dying art. Today's movie soundtracks are usually a collection of songs from the filmmaker's childhood, plus whatever Rihanna or Katy Perry song didn't get used for their last album. Basically: a mess.

This week we're looking back to when movie soundtracks mattered. All the way back to…the early 2000s? Wait, that's almost 20 years ago? Crap, we're old. Agree or disagree with our picks? Reach out and let us know.

SHOW NOTES

6:56 – This Is Spinal Tap (Michael's Choice)

9:32 – The Graduate (Richard's Choice)

15:14 – Pulp Fiction (Michael's Choice)

20:10 – Singles (Richard's Choice)

29:22 – Trainspotting (Michael's Choice)

34:03 – A Hard's Days Night (Richard's Choice)

38:37 – Rushmore (Michael's Choice)

45:12 – The Power and the Glory (Richard's Choice)

Some people say moderation is the key to life. Those people seem like real wet noodles. At the Mt. Rushmore Podcast, we have the self-control of a beagle puppy in a slipper factory. Why stop with "enough" of something when you can go straight on through to "making yourself physically ill?"

This week we're making a Rushmore from things that we've binged – from food and drinks to things that we've done too much. After you're done with this week's episode, why not check out our archives and stuff your earholes with too much podcast goodness?

SHOW NOTES

• Podcasts (Michael's Choice)
• Pat and Oscar's Breadsticks (Richard's Choice)
• Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies (Michael's Choice)
• Booze (Richard's Choice)
• Netflix TV Shows (Michael's Choice)
• YouTube Rabbit Holes (Richard's Choice)
• Coca-Cola (Michael's Choice)
• Sleep (Richard's Choice)

The Mt. Rushmore Podcast is now boarding its non-stop flight to airport hell! World traveler and bon vivant Chris Cary is our co-pilot, as we discuss all of the ways that everyone else makes air travel just a little more awful.

And remember: no food, drinks or any liquids more than 2 oz. are allowed while listening to this podcast.

SHOW NOTES

1:50 - People who cut into the front of the boarding line (Richard and Michael's Pick) 9:02 - Gatecrashing/Lining Up Before Your Group (Chris' Pick) 12:52 - Holding up security (Joint Pick) 18:55 - Security/Ticketing being awful, power-hungry people (Richard and Michael's Pick) 23:43 - Harassing gate agents (Chris' Pick) 27:15 - Person who watches videos at full volume without headphones (Richard and Michael's Pick)

Halloween means that it's time to eating your weight in mini-Kit Kats, pretend the cobwebs in your living room are "decorations" and listen to some spooky tunes. There are more Halloween songs than inappropriately "sexy" costumes, so narrowing down the right songs to play at your party can be a daunting task.

Fear not! We're selecting the greatest Halloween songs ever and we've got some help in mega-Rushmore fan Ryan Love, former college DJ and a certified expert in Halloween music. Check out his incredible four-hour, 120-song Spotify Halloween playlist after you listen to this episode.

SHOW NOTES

• 5:57: "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo (Ryan's Choice)
• 11:30: "The Monster Mash" by Boris "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (Michael and Richard's Choice)
• 17:34: "The Time Wrap" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show (Ryan's Choice)
• 21:50: "Dinner with Dracula" by John Zacherle (Michael and Richard's Choice)
• 29:44: "I Walked With a Zombie" by Roky Erickson (Ryan's Choice)
• 35:40: "Halloween" by The Misfits (Michael and Richard's Choice)
• 39:40: "Attack of the Ghost Riders" by The Raveonettes (Ryan's Choice)
• 45:12: "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon (Michael and Richard's Choice)

Regrets? We've had a few. And many of them involve making a purchase that you didn't plan on making. This week, we discuss our impulse buys that we immediately regret making.

The crazy part is that we keep making these purchases again and again. Why? Because we're dummies, that's why!

SHOW NOTES

3:27 - Los Angeles Magazine (Michael's Choice)

7:02 - Shoes (Richard's Choice)

13:16 - Funky Flavored Gum (Michael's Choice)

18:19 - A "Different" Beer (Richard's Choice)

26:41 - Amazon "Fill In The Blank" Purchase to Get Free Shipping (Michael's Choice)

32:04 - Silly Putty (Richard's Choice)

35:15 - One Last Drink at the Bar (Michael's Choice)

37:51 - DVDs of Movies You've Never Seen (Richard's Choice)