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Here’s the fourth episode of Talking the Coda! This podcast takes a look at musical artists whose careers were cut short, either by a death, break-up, retirement, or any other circumstance. With abrupt endings to musical careers often comes a mix of heightened joy and sadness for audiences, and perhaps even a need for some closure.

Each month, Luke Martin (co-host of last year’s Pod on the Rooftops mini-series on the band Genesis) will dive into the work of one musician or band with such an ending to their career. For this episode, Luke discusses Dusty Hill, the bassist for Texas rock trio ZZ Top.

Luke is joined by Steven Robinson, a Los Angeles based trombonist who toured alongside ZZ Top as a member of John Fogerty’s band in 2018. Luke and Robinson’s discussion touches on Robinson’s perspective on classic rock, his interactions with Dusty Hill, and how to stay positive amid a rapidly-changing music industry.

You can follow Luke Martin on Youtube and Instagram. His debut single, “Stuck In My Room”, is available on all streaming platforms, and his band, Socially Distanced, can also be found on Facebook, YouTube, and their website.

Be sure to check back next month for a discussion of a new musical artist with a new guest!

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for a bonus movie podcast for the month of July. This time they’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of Captain America: The First Avenger.

Captain America: The First Avenger came out on July 22, 2011. It is the first theatrical feature starring the titular character and serves as his introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Based on comic books by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the movie is written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and directed by Joe Johnston.

In the film Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, Knives Out) starts out as a scrawny Brookylnite looking to serve his country in World War II. The armed forces turn Steve away until Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci, Central Park) of the Strategic Scientific Reserve recruits him for a special program aimed at creating a breed of super soldiers. Rogers becomes the program’s one and only product, Captain America. With increased strength, stamina, and speed, he leads the efforts against the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving, Mortal Engines), head of the Nazis’ own scientific branch and obsessed with attaining otherworldly powers.

Other characters include Steve’s best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan, I, Tonya), businessman and inventor Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, Preacher), director of the SSR Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones, Ad Astra), and Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell, Christopher Robin), with whom Rogers is romantically involved.

Captain America: The First Avenger opened to a warm reception from critics and moviegoers. While its $370.6 million box office is the second lowest of Marvel’s Phase One, The First Avenger helped pave the way for the billion-dollar films the studio makes today.

In this podcast Josh and Aaron talk about the movie’s plot, characters, action, and effects. The brothers also discuss the future of the Captain America franchise and how The First Avenger compares to other MCU films.

For another superhero property, you can listen to Josh and Aaron’s podcast on the Smallville series finale.

Captain America: The First Avenger is streaming on Disney+.

Welcome to the third episode of Talking the Coda, a podcast that examines musical artists whose careers were cut short, either by a death, break-up, retirement, or any other circumstance. When a prominent musician stops making music suddenly, their fan base often experiences a mix of heightened joy over the music they did create, yet dejection that the artist could not do more, and perhaps even a need for some closure.

Each month, Luke Martin (co-host of last year’s Pod on the Rooftops mini-series on the band Genesis) will dive into the work of one musician or band with such an ending to their career. For this episode, Luke discusses a pioneer of bebop and one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, Charlie "Bird" Parker

Luke is joined by Alexandria DeWalt, an up-and-coming jazz vocalist, flautist, and educator from Houston, Texas. Luke and Alex’s discussion centers on the state of jazz education and how it’s been impacted by economics, social media, and more in the modern world.

The theme song that bookends the episode is entitled “MIA in Beantown”, and was composed and performed by Luke and Alex as well.

You can follow Luke Martin on Youtube and Instagram. His debut single, “Stuck In My Room”, is available on all streaming platforms, and his band, Socially Distanced, can also be found on Facebook, YouTube, and their website.

Be sure to check back next month for a discussion of a new musical artist with a new guest!

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are back for their latest movie podcast, but they’re not alone. Bill Bodkin, Editor-in-Chief of The Pop Break, joins the podcast once again as their special guest. This time they’re talking about Terminator 2: Judgment Day for its 30th anniversary.

Terminator 2, also known as T2, opened in theaters on July 3, 1991. The action movie is a sequel to The Terminator, which debuted in 1984. Like its predecessor, T2 was directed by James Cameron.

10 years after the first film, Sarah Connor’s (Linda Hamilton, Dante’s Peak) warnings of a future war with a rogue artificial intelligence called Skynet have fallen on deaf ears. Sarah has been committed to a mental facility while her son John (Edward Furlong, American History X), the boy destined to grow up into humanity’s savior, has been assigned foster parents. Future John sends a reprogramed Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger, True Lies) back in time to protect his past self from the T-1000 (Robert Patrick, Scorpion), a more advanced Terminator able to change shape and appearance.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a massive critical and financial success. It was the highest grossing movie of 1991, making $520 million on a $102 million budget. In addition to Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing, the film won for Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Makeup.

Aaron, Josh, and Bill break down the movie, covering its plot, characters, action, and effects. The three also discuss the film’s legacy inside and outside the franchise.

For more Terminator, you can listen to Josh and Aaron’s podcasts on The Terminator and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is streaming on Netflix.

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for the June edition of their movie retrospectives. This month they’re talking about Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame for its 25th anniversary.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame opened in theaters on June 21, 1996. It is an animated musical directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo.

Set in 1482 Paris, the film follows Quasimodo (Tom Hulce, Amadeus), who rings the bells atop the Notre Dame cathedral. Convinced by his master Judge Frollo (Tony Jay, Twins) that he is a monster due his hunched back and abnormal appearance, Quasimodo stays in the bell tower. However, one day he ventures outside. It’s there he befriends a kind and beautiful dancer named Esmeralda (Demi Moore, Ghost). Quasimodo’s only other friends are three talking gargoyles, Victor (Charles Kimbrough, Murphy Brown), Hugo (Jason Alexander, Seinfeld), and Laverne (Mary Wickes, Sister Act). Rounding out the cast is Captain Pheobus (Kevin Kline, The Road to El Dorado), who serves under Frollo but disapproves of his cruelty.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame garnered a generally positive reception from critics and moviegoers, and the film earned an Oscar nomination for its score. Gene Siskel awarded the movie three and a half stars while Roger Ebert awarded it four out of four. However, there was controversy over the film’s content, particularly with parents complaining that the religious themes and Frollo’s lust for Esmeralda were inappropriate for young children. Regardless, Hunchback made $325 million on a $100 million budget and was the fifth highest grossing film of 1996.

Josh and Aaron talk about how Hunchback factored into their childhood, plus all the movie’s elements, including the plot, characters, music, and animation. The two also discuss the film’s direct-to-video sequel and planned live action remake.

For more Disney animated films, listen to Aaron and Josh talk about The Lion King and The Emperor’s New Groove.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is streaming on Disney+.

Each month, Luke Martin (co-host of last year’s Pod on the Rooftops mini-series on the band Genesis) will dive into the work of one musician or band with such an ending to their career. For this episode, Luke discusses the contemporary Christian musician Rich Mullins.

Luke is joined by Laura and Bernie Franc, two volunteer music ministers who have served in churches across the country for over 30 years. In addition to discussing Mullins’ career, Laura, Bernie, and Luke ponder the role religion can play in one’s personal life and in the world, the uncertainty of faith, and what religious music may be able to offer even secular audiences.

The theme song that bookends the episode is entitled “Stand in the Morning”, and was composed and performed by Martin as well.

You can follow Luke Martin on Youtube and Instagram. His debut single, “Stuck In My Room”, is available on all streaming platforms, and his band, Socially Distanced, can also be found on Facebook, YouTube, and their website.

Be sure to check back next month for a discussion of a new musical artist with a new guest!

Welcome to Episode 1 of This Wrestling Life -- the latest addition to the Pop Break family of podcasts, all about the underappreciated and overlooked stars of the rin.

In this episode, Pop Break editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin welcomes on a special guest to discuss one of his favorite underappreciated wrestlers.

The Anniversary Brothers Movie Podcast: Shrek 20th Anniversary

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for the May edition of their movie retrospectives. This month they’re talking about Shrek for its 20th anniversary.

Shrek opened in theaters on May 18, 2001. It is an animated comedy, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson and based on a picture book by William Steig. It stars Mike Myers (Bohemian Rhapsody) as an irritable ogre named Shrek.

In the film Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz, Vanilla Sky) from a dragon. This is in exchange for the deed to his swamp, where Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow, Interstellar) has forcibly relocated the land’s fairytale creatures. Joining Shrek on his journey is Donkey (Eddie Murphy, Coming 2 America), a unique jackass with the ability to talk. But unbeknownst to Shrek, Donkey, and Farquaad, there is more to Princess Fiona than there appears.

Shrek was a hit with critics and moviegoers alike. It grossed $484 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. It was nominated at the Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Animated Feature, winning the latter, which was a new category that year. Shrek has since gone on to spawn multiple sequels, a theme park ride, and even a Broadway musical. The Library of Congress added Shrek to the National Film Registry in 2020, a first for an animated feature not produced or distributed by Disney.

Josh and Aaron talk about how Shrek fits into their childhood before breaking down its plot, characters, humor, and computer animation. The brothers also go into the film’s long production history and legacy.

For another animated DreamWorks film, listen to Aaron and Josh talk about The Road to El Dorado.

Shrek is streaming on Hulu.

Wrestling returns to the BreakCast as Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin is joined by the husband and wife duo of Michael and Evi Dworkis to discuss All Elite Wrestling's mega-show, Blood and Guts.

The triple threat of wrestling fans kick things off by discussing AEW's decision to host a full capacity show for their Double or Nothing PPV then talk about the possibility of newly minted free agent Daniel Bryan and recent WWE releases like Samoa Joe and Mickie James coming to AEW.

From there they break down the entire card -- Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston vs. Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa, Moxley's upcoming match with Yuji Nagata, Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall, the four-way tag team match, the potential of Kenny Omega vs. Orange Cassidy and the state of the TNT. Then things conclude with a discussion of AEW's first-ever Blood and Guts match and should AEW run this match back in the future.

Welcome to Animew! ThePopBreak.com's monthly podcast all about anime and manga!