Murmur.com Podcast

February 9, 2010 - What more could a Murmur podcaster ask for with this episode? We've got an in-depth analysis of the 2010 Oscar Nominations, a dissection of Apple's announcement of the new iPad, as well as head scratching questions over the season premiere of LOST. Ron Richards, Jim Mroczkowski and Ali Colluccio gather to make educated (and some uneducated) guesses all around. Worth the listen, even if you did (or didn't) see Precious.

00:01:14 - The 2010 Oscar Nominations have been announced and we discuss the leading categories, actors/actresses and film and director.

00:31:48 - Apple has introduced the iPad, have we been saved or is it all just hype?

00:43:24 - The long awaited season premiere of LOST came and went and left our heads spinning.

January 26, 2010 - Murmur staffers Mike Romo, Josh Flanagan and Conor Kilpatrick have gathered to talk about the two topics that most dominate the American pop culture landscape: The Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien mess at The Tonight Show and James Cameron's Avatar. All that, plus the prospect of seeing the original Star Wars Trilogy in 3D leads to a wide ranging discussion of favorite theater experiences, seeing Jaws while floating the water, the future of 3D television, running out of Wiimotes, not knowing where to sit in IMAX movies, and HD lenses.

00:01:06 - The Tonight Show host shuffle has dominated the American pop culture landscape in January of 2010. Conan O'Brien is out and Jay Leno is back in and what does this mean from a business and creative standpoint?

00:25:47 - Avatar is now the highest grossing film of all time. The guys discuss the pre-release backlash, whether or not digital actors deserve Academy Award consideration, the future of 3D films, and oh yeah, the movie itself.

January 12, 2010 - The first podcast of 2010 bring Paul, Kelly and new Murmur staff writer Ali as well as a special guest, Murmur user Josh as they gather to discuss the New Year, various kitchen adventures and the Murmur Book Club, discussing Josh Bazell's Beat the Reaper.

New Years Resolutions

00:01:30 - Ali wants to keep up with the movies

00:02:43 - Josh and Paul want to keep up with the books and Paul's gonna use his new Kindle

00:05:03 - Everybody's concerned about physical fitness, but somebody actually wants to gain weight

00:07:46 - How do you keep track of your resolutions?

00:09:29 - Everybody needs to get caught up on TV, old and new. Was Sports Night a dress tech for the West Wing?

00:11:40 - Kelly has conquered her Tivo

00:12:30 - And she's taking on some culinary challenges. Do marshmallow's grow on trees?

00:15:15 - Paul discovers a long-forgotten lab experiment in his basement.

Kitchen Alchemy

00:16:33 - Josh is brewing his own beer and Kelly's town smells like bread.

00:24:02 - Ali is doing things with vodka and bacon.

00:26:49 - Kelly is doing things with vodka and everything else.

00:27:35 - Paul reveals his favorite cocktail.

Book Club

00:28:30 - We have a bone to pick with all the footnotes in Josh Bazell's Beat the Reaper, but we're glad we survived the sharks.

00:48:17 - The next book club selection is The Magicians by Lev Grossman. And we're pairing it with Dogfish Head Red and White.

Music

Concrete and Clay

Unit 4+2

December 27, 2009 - It's the fourth annual All Media Year End Round Up where Josh Flanagan, Ron Richards, and Conor Kilpatrick discuss everything they enjoyed in 2009 from movies, to television, to music, to video games and of course, to comic books. Enjoy!

Movies

00:02:15 - Up in the Air

00:08:12 - Star Trek

00:09:39 - The Road

00:11:34 - Up

00:13:53 - Away We Go

00:16:18 - Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

00:18:19 - The Men Who Stare at Goats

00:21:02 - The Fantastic Mr. Fox

00:24:49 - Taken

00:27:00 - Funny People

00:29:35 - (500) Days of Summer

00:32:01 - Watchmen

00:34:22 - Inglorious Basterds

00:36:45 - In the Loop

00:38:51 - Adventureland

Television

00:41:41 - Mad Men

00:42:43 - Glee

00:46:08 - Friday Night Lights

00:50:48 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

00:53:33 - Curb Your Enthusiasm

00:57:42 - Top Chef

00:59:04 - Bored To Death

01:02:59 - FlashForward

01:05:49 - Breaking Bad

01:09:46 - X Factor

01:14:51 - Survivor

01:17:02 - Community

01:19:14 - Psych

01:19:48 - Weeds

01:21:31 - Lost

Video Games

01:25:16 - Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

01:27:10 - Beatles Rock Band

01:29:15 - iPhone Games

01:31:38 - Batman: Arkham Asylum

Music

01:35:01 - Passion Pit

01:35:52 - Ray LaMontagne

01:37:33 - The Big Pink

01:38:16 - The Beatles Remastered

01:38:59 - Pearl Jam

01:40:05 - Morrissey

01:40:58 - The Decemberists

01:43:54 - Glee Soundtrack

01:44:46 - Cut Off Your Hands

01:45:20 - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Comic Books

01:46:53 - Batman and Robin

01:47:28 - Captain Britain and MI13

01:48:14 - Hellboy/BPRD

01:48:53 - Blackest Night

01:49:28 - Fantastic Four

01:50:08 - Invincible

01:51:04 - The Flash: Rebirth

01:52:08 - Nova/Guardians of the Galaxy

01:52:39 - Hellblazer

01:53:31 - Chew

01:54:19 - Wednesday Comics

01:55:12 - The Mighty

01:56:26 - G.I. Joe/Cobra/Origins

01:57:03 - Phonogram: The Singles Club

01:57:35 - Scalped

The Three Best People Working in Comics - 2009

01:59:13 - Greg Rucka

02:01:13 - Darwyn Cooke

02:03:37 - Geoff Johns

Music:

Last Christmas

Glee Cast

December 8, 2009 - We've got a jam-packed show this week as Murmur staffers Josh Flanagan, Conor Kilpatrick, Kelly Stephenson, Paul Montgomery, and Jim Mroczkowski talk about everything from writing to British sci-fi to giant cupcakes to stacks of unread books. This one's not only got something for everybody!

00:01:09 - Josh, Kelly, Paul and Jim look back on NaNoWriMo and the sparks fly because one of the four really, really, REALLY hated it.

00:25:15 - Josh, Kelly, Paul and Jim discuss Dr. Who and Torchwood and try to figure out just how menacing lo-tech aliens really are.

00:41:53 - Josh, Conor, Kelly and Jim use WonderAli's article about Baking as a spring board for their own baking experiences. Mmm... pie.

00:56:40 - Josh, Conor, Paul and Jim talk about the issues raised in JChristie's Do you re-read books? and offer their holiday book recommendations.

Music

On The Bus Mall

The Decemberists

November 24, 2009 - The holidays are fast approaching and that means holiday shopping. Conor Kilpatrick, Mike Romo and Ron Richards gather to discuss Blu-Ray paralysis, the hot DVDs that you should add to your shopping list as well as some great tech gadgets that could help you get the gifts for all the important people in your life.

DVDs

Star Trek

Star Trek: The Original Series

?Firefly: The Complete Series

Watchmen: The Ultimate Director's Cut

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy?

Mad Men

Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary

Band of Brothers?

Up

?Gone with the Wind - 70th Anniversary

The ?Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Set

Holiday Tech Gift Ideas

Samsung Blu-ray Player, BD-P1590

Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 Compact Speakers for iPod and iPhone

Fujiilm Instax MINI 7s White Instant Film Camera

Maximo iMetal In-Ear Earphones?

Harmony Remotes

?Logitech Squeezebox Radio?

Flip Mino HD

Onkyo TX-SR607 7.2-Channel A/V Surround Home Theater Receiver?

Roku Box

Music:

The Bells of St. Mary

Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans

November 10, 2009 - This week, Murmur staffers Conor Kilpatrick, Ron Richards, Josh Flanagan, and Paul Montgomery sit down to talk about some of the more notable shows and issues from the first half of the television season. Is Mad Men still the best show on television? Is The Office truly done? And what's on everyone's fantasy NBC Thursday night lineup?

00:01:31 - Did Mad Men close out its season with a heist? Yes. Yes, it did.

00:22:26 - Ron was totally let down by the premiere episode of V.

00:30:41 - FlashForward feelings run the gamut from love to indifference.

00:35:20 - Paul and Conor take a moment to give some love to the final season of Monk.

00:38:31 - The state of NBC's Thursday night line-up.

00:41:08 - There are so many reasons to love Community.

00:44:14 - Parks and Recreation might just be the best comedy on Thursday.

00:47:40 - The Office makes everyone sad. Especially Paul.

00:52:32 - What the hell happened to 30 Rock?

Music:

A Beautiful Mine

Madder Men (featuring DJ Swindeal)

October 27, 2009 - This episode of Murmur features Paul Montgomery, Kelly Stephenson, Jim Mroczkowski, and Josh Flanagan getting deep into a bunch of topics, including Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Top Chef, Halloween, the Death of Web Communities, and National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. It's definitely a Lifestyle focused episode of the Murmur Podcast.

TV:

00:01:26 - Jim wrote a In Defense of Jimmy Fallon's new show, and Josh agrees with him. We like Jimmy!

00:09:11 - Paul, Kelly, and Josh weigh in on what's happening with Top Chef Las Vegas. Also, apparently those guys are brothers!

Lifestyle:

00:16:54 - It's time for Halloween, and the whole group spends a little time trying to figure out what that holiday means to them as proper adults, some with actual kids of their own! Paul just likes candy, and interesting outfits.

00:36:30 - The panel discusses web communities, spurred on by user Dave C's article, Unplugged: Coping with the End of an Online Community. Is it even possible to lose people on the web anymore?

00:48:33 - The group, self-professed writers all, gear up for November and National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, with the goal of writing one novel in one month. We talk about the process, the point, the successes, and the ultimate wisdom of Yoda. Will we get Jim to participate?

Music:

Halloween

Dead Kennedys

October 13, 2009 - This week on Murmur, Ryan Penagos, Paul Montgomery and Ron Richards dig their heels in deep for the longest Murmur podcast ever. There's even a cameo appearance by the talented Elizabeth Keenan, who drops some music knowledge on the boys as they discuss the latest in music, as well some some movies like Zombieland, Coco Before Chanel, We Live in Public and the Lord of the Rings with a live orchestra. The boys also get their geek on as they admit that the iPhone is pretty cool and we don't quite know what to make of Google Wave.

Movies:

00:01:28 - Zombies are all the rage and the movie Zombieland! is definitely a good addition to the trend

00:08:00 - Instead of seeing Zombieland! Ron chose Coco Before Chanel

00:11:01 - and Ron also saw We Live in Public and got a little freaked out

00:16:35 - Lord of the Rings couldn't get more epic than seeing it with a live orchestra, like Ryan did

Music:

00:23:04 - "Laura" - Girls - from the album "Album"

00:24:46 - "Dominos" - The Big Pink from the album "A Brief History of Love"

00:26:56 - "Saddest Summer" - The Drums from the EP "Summertime!"

00:31:22 - "Can't Get Over You" - The Vivian Girls from the "Album Everything Goes Wrong"

00:34:45 - "All The Pretty Girls" - fun. from the album "Aim and Ignite"

00:37:34 - "Dynamo" - Bad Lieutenant from the album "Never Cry Another Tear" with special expert cameo from Elizabeth Keenan!

00:49:00 - "At The Bottom" - Brand New from the album "Daisy"

00:52:20 - Quiet Like Voices" - We Were Promised Jetpacks from the album "These Four Walls"

Technology:

00:55:54 - Ryan and Ron both swear by their Android phones, but those iPhones sure are pretty

01:04:09 - We all got into Google Wave this week and while the potential is obvious, it's not quite there yet

Follow everyone on Twitter! Follow Paul, Ryan and Ron

Music

Ceremony

New Order

September 29, 2009 - Murmur staffers Conor Kilpatrick, Josh Flanagan, Paul Montgomery and Jim Mroczkowski get together to talk about a whole mess of topics from across the Murmur spectrum. Along the way there are fond memories of Kozmo.com, Josh tells sordid tales from the set of Junkyard Wars, and Jim slags off Josh's favorite author!

Tech:

00:01:13 - Everybody gets to be a Beatle in Beatles Rock Band, where there is no booing no matter how badly you play.

Music:

00:14:06 - The remastered Beatles CDs are super groovy!

00:20:05 - Jim's article, "Talk Amongst Ourselves: Does Music Matter" is discussed. The answer is no. No, wait -- yes. Maybe?

Television:

00:30:17 - Josh gives a passionate defense of the genre in his article "Calling Reality TV Stupid is Stupid".

Literature:

00:42:59 - Kelly Stephenson's article, "Top of the Stack: Fall 2009" inspires everyone to take a hard look at their stacks.

00:43:42 - What's Paul reading?

00:46:35 - What's Josh reading?

00:48:07 - What's Jim reading?

00:50:09 - What's Conor reading?

00:51:21 - Conor read the entire Harry Potter saga over the summer and everyone chimes in.

00:53:25 - Jim and Josh might have to resort to pistols at dawn over Neal Stephenson.

Follow everyone on goodreads! Become friends with Conor, Josh, Paul and Jim!