I review “START”, the series finale of The Americans.

You don’t have to be in counter-intelligence to know that there will be spoilers

Show notes:

-What did I think?

-The ending

-Previous episodes this season

-What the creators think

-What stood out

-Stan Beeman

-Predictability, a Last Jedi digression

-The music and With or Without You

-The train to Canada

-Paige Jennings

-Henry Jennings

-What would happen in modern America

-Philip and Elizabeth are my parents age

-A letdown

-The Americans compared to other series endings

-What I wanted to see

-What stood out in the series

-Rooting for Philip and Elizabeth?

-Gray areas

-Liking the characters

-Elizabeth and Philip, and Stan’s arcs

-The Jennings, Stan, good and evil, right and wrong

-Who would I side with?

-Oleg

-When The Americans alluded to present day

-History repeating itself

-Handheld video games in the 80s

-What I want, moving forward

-Plugs and the origin of the podcast title

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

Welcome to the Black Parade . . . Breakdown. 

The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance is one of my favorite albums.  After a few listens, I began to discover the similarities to certain songs by other artists that I liked. By similarities, I don’t mean that MCR is stealing, I use think they’re using their influences wisely.

Therefore, I have picked songs from The Black Parade that I feel are the most similar to other songs, play clips of those songs back to back, and then give my thoughts.

This podcast focuses on MCR’s The Sharpest Lives and Welcome to the Black Parade being influenced by Queen’s Now I’m Here and Bohemian Rhapsody, respectively.

Show notes:

-We hear birds!

-The last Black Parade Breakdown (http://mikelaneact.podbean.com/e/the-black-parade-breakdown/)

-The Sharpest Lives and Now I’m Here clips and analysis

-When I first listened to The Sharpest Lives

-Welcome to the Black Parade and Bohemian Rhapsody similarities

-The crescendos

-The fast parts

-I’m tired

-The next Black Parade Breakdown

-Plugs!

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

Welcome to the Black Parade . . . Breakdown. 

The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance is one of my favorite albums.  After a few listens, I began to discover the similarities to certain songs by other artists that I liked. By similarities, I don’t mean that MCR is stealing, I use think they’re using their influences wisely.

Therefore, I have picked songs from The Black Parade that I feel are the most similar to other songs, play clips of those songs back to back, and then give my thoughts.

This podcast focuses on MCR’s The Sharpest Lives and Welcome to the Black Parade being influenced by Queen’s Now I’m Here and Bohemian Rhapsody, respectively.

Show notes:

-We hear birds!

-The last Black Parade Breakdown (http://mikelaneact.podbean.com/e/the-black-parade-breakdown/)

-The Sharpest Lives and Now I’m Here clips and analysis

-When I first listened to The Sharpest Lives

-Welcome to the Black Parade and Bohemian Rhapsody similarities

-The crescendos

-The fast parts

-I’m tired

-The next Black Parade Breakdown

-Plugs!

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

Erin and I review Solo: A Star Wars Story about a half hour after watching it.  Does it hold together or is it truly a piece of junk?

Spoilers arrive at light speed!

Show notes:

-What did we think?

-Trying to go into Solo blind

-What the movie conveyed

-Ethics and morals

-Alden Ehrenreich’s performance

-Donald Glover

-Mike’s initial worry

-Suaveness?

-A criticism

-Beckett

-Where on the timeline

-Donald Glover fans take over the Donald Trump subreddit

-This is Cloud City (not “The Empire”)

-Crimson Dawn

-Han Solo and Lando Calrissian’s relationship

-Nitpicking

-Lando and L3-37

-Lando’s mother

-Han’s father

-Han and Kylo Ren

-Chewbacca

-The “Legends” books and life debt

-More Solo movies?

-Mike sneezes

-Box office predictions

-Mike sneezes again

-Mike sneezes yet again

-Women’s roles in Solo

-Enfys

-The Rebellion

-Qi’ra and Han’s relationship

-Han shot first

-The action and tension

-Could Erin and I live like Han?

-The gamblers

-The Millennium Falcon

-Mike’s nephew

-Trying to be spoiler free

-Conspiracy theories

-Allusions

-The dice

-What did we think of L3?

-Our wish

-Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Gwendolyn Christie

-The Kessel Run

-Mike couldn’t think of the Kobayashi Maru

-The name Solo

-How does Solo rank with the other Star Wars movies?

-Back to the women

-Lawrence Kasdan

-Rio

-Plugs!

Follow Erin on Twitter @erunuevo

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

The great acting teacher Harold Guskin, has died.  He was known throughout the acting circles due to his famous students like Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, and James Gandolfini but his actual approach did not enjoy the mainstream attention like Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, etc. 

I talk about Guskin’s approach to acting and his book “How to Stop Acting”, which was a game changer in my life.

Show notes:

-I’m tired

-How I found out Harold Guskin died

-Game changers in life

-Guskin’s book, “How to Stop Acting”

-When I first read it

-Lee Strasberg

-How Strasberg taught

-Being yelled at

-How I feel about tough love

-How I discovered “How to Stop Acting”

-After reading the first few pages . . .

-Reminding me how I used to live life

-How I feel about acting

-I explain the foundation of Guskin’s approach, “Taking It Off the Page”

-How the moment creates spontaneity

-How will the line come out? I don’t know and neither should you.

-Getting to emotional scenes compared to other approaches

-It doesn’t matter your level of acting

-Guskin’s Holy Trinity (Kline, Close, Gandolfini)

-I wrote him a letter a few years ago

-I am now awake and have a message to my sleepy self

-Emailing Guskin

-Not a technique?

-To take a class or not take a class?

-My issue with Guskin

-Using different approaches to form your own

-Jesper Triel Gissel and The Generous Actor

-The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and the blues

-A difference between Jesper’s approach and Guskin’s

-Feeling alone after reading “How to Stop Acting”

-Challenging the established acting techniques

-Guskin’s like punk rock

-Spreading the word

-So read “How to Stop Acting” and “The Generous Actor”

-Planting seeds

-Where Guskin started

-We need rebels

-Tribalism and acting techniques

-I need coffee

-Plugs

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

SPOILERS START RIGHT AWAY for this Music, Movies and More quickie!

Show Notes:

-What would be fantastic

-What we all know

-I haven’t read the comics

-The brave move

-What I thought

-The amount of characters

-What I wished

-What I think of the Marvel movies I’ve seen

-The after credits

-If you did not read the comics

-The humor

-The writing

-What Avengers: Infinity War sparked

-Do you have to see all the movies

-Thanos

-What makes a good villain

-Thanos and Killmonger

-Plugs

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

I decided to buy CDs with my Barnes and Noble gift card and then wait for them to arrive via snail mail.  Yes, I know it’s not 1999.  Yes, I know I can easily listen/buy these albums on the Internet, but I chose not to. I decided to wait until these CDs arrive to listen to them.  This decision brought me back to buying music as a kid, and my reaction to these feelings are explained.

Show notes:

-How and why I did what I did

-How I like to read books

-Hanging on to my past

-What I’m currently reading

-The new book I ordered

-The importance of paying for music

-Once I get these CDs . . .

-What I discovered while ordering

-The bad and good parts about waiting

-The CDs I bought

-It’s Boarding House Reach

-Part of why I loved music so much as a kid

-My buying process in the 90s

-Excitement and anticipation

-Protest songs?

-Am I punishing myself?

-Getting older

-Will I do this again?

-How I normally buy music

-Going to a concert before YouTube

-Watching concerts on YouTube, recorded before YouTube

-Modern technology

-Still building excitement

-Plugs!

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

After watching The Last Jedi for the third time, I felt inspired to give a few reasons why this is the best of them all.  I defend the movie from some of its criticisms, while possibly going mad in the process of doing so.

Your thoughts don't betray you. There are spoilers ahead.

Show notes:

-How I feel after the third time

-Purists

-Older people getting resentful

-My age and how it relates to Star Wars history

-Hanging on to the past

-Bitterness and resentment does not escape the world of Star Wars

-Why The Last Jedi irked some people

-Being different

-Gray areas

-White men

-Star Wars was never and will never be “ours”

-Attacking Star Wars for the wrong reasons

-What The Last Jedi represents

-Movies and life

-When I don’t like a movie

-If I don’t like a Star Wars movie

-Going on a mad tear

-Defending the Canto Bight sequence

-Why this movie was so good

-The purpose of Canto Bight

-The last scene of the movie

-The failure of heroes

-Rey and Mary Sue

-Minor mistakes with The Force Awakens

-Rey and Luke comparisons

-The de-feminized fan edit and frightened men

-Rey is not a perfect character

-Snoke’s throne room

-Yoda’s message

-Defending the slow speed chase

-The Holdo Manuever

-The Last Jedi compared to The Empire Strikes Back

-Hopes and worries for Episode IX

-Who wants the same things over and over again?

-Rose and Finn

-Poe’s arc

-Arguing Star Wars

-Hating the movie for the wrong reasons

-Hating the movie for the right reasons

-What I’m doing now

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com  

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr  

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

Anyway, May the Force Be With You . . . Always

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

I analyze the Radiohead classic while I wait for my truck to be jump started. 

Show notes:

-My predicament

-My Radiohead fandom and opinion on OK Computer

-90s music

-The effect of No Surprises on me

-My mind

-The meaning of the song

-The music

-The subject of No Surprises

-The lyrics and reverse psychology

-Complacency

-What I originally thought the song was about

-The name of my production company

-Songfacts.com and Alessandro from Besnate Italy

-The lyrics

-The conversation within the lyrics

-How to decrease anxiety in 2018 America

-A handshake of carbon monoxide

-What I think of silence

-What the subject plans to do after the final fit

-Staying in your bubble

-How to bring about change

-Such a pretty house . . .

-The beauty of music

-Back to the music

-Rolling Stone’s coverage of OK Computer

-The theme of OK Computer

-This song makes me cry

-Music helps me feel

-Wanting no alarms

-Balance

-Back to America 2018

-My Radiohead “fandom”

-Kid A

-Radiohead today

-Returning to guitars?

-Seeing Radiohead live

-The Bends

-For those who haven’t heard OK Computer . . .

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1

-Vote Democrat

© Mike Lane 2018 All Rights Reserved

This is the second, and hopefully final, podcast of The Flu Sessions.  I’ve been meaning to see Arrival for a while and the flu gave me that chance.  Was it worth the wait or did it make me just want to get a spaceship and go?

You don’t have to be a cunning linguist to know that this podcast contains spoilers.

Show notes:

-I’m still recovering from the flu

-What was really great about Arrival

-The main conflict

-The twist

-Science, logic, and reason

-Mah Jong

-The daughter

-Back to the flu and how it’s made me feel

-If I was Louise . . .

-Louise’s life

-Atypical

-Contact

-Communication

-The look and the acting

-Annihilation

-Denis Villeneuve

-The benefit of having the flu

-Being sick today versus being sick as a kid

-All of our television watching options

-Music

-Back to Arrival

-Plugs!

Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact

Email [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikelaneactor

Podbean http://mikelaneact.podbean.com 

Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-movies-and-other-stuff/id1236495556?mt=2

Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/music-movies-and-more?refid=stpr 

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeLane1