Pop Break Today

It’s 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 will dive into the work of one musician or band with such an ending to their career. For his first episode, Luke discusses the Mexican-American singer Selena, the “Queen of Tejano Music”, in recognition of what would have been her 50th birthday just a week ago.

Luke is joined by Alé Jimenez, an accomplished indie, Latin pop singer originally from Colombia. Her debut album, “Canciones Chiquitas”, was released in 2019 and is available on all streaming platforms. In addition to discussing Selena’s career and influence as a whole, Alé and Luke delve into issues like identity, language, gender, and authenticity.

They also discuss their process in co-writing a song sketch in the style of Selena entitled “Será Contigo”.

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!

The Anniversary Brothers: James and the Giant Peach 25th Anniversary

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are back with another movie to talk about. This time it’s James and the Giant Peach, celebrating its 25th anniversary this month.

James and the Giant Peach opened in theaters on April 12, 1996. It was directed by Henry Selick and is based on the children’s book by Roald Dahl. It stars Paul Terry (Microsoap) as James, a boy who lives with his abusive aunts, Sponge (Miriam Margolyes, Babe) and Spiker (Joanna Lumley, Corpse Bride). All that changes when James escapes inside a giant peach with the help of a mysterious old man (Pete Postlethwaite, Inception) and a group of talking, human-size bugs. Voicing the bugs are Susan Sarandon (Feud: Bette and Joan) as Spider, Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws) as Centipede, Simon Callow (The Witcher) as Grasshopper, David Thewlis (Wonder Woman) as Earthworm, Jane Leeves (The Resident) as Ladybug, and Miriam Margolyes as Glowworm. Together with his bug friends, James travels the Atlantic in hopes of reaching New York City.

James and the Giant Peach garnered positive reviews from critics, but it failed to make back its budget of $38 million. According to Box Office Mojo, it only grossed $28.9 million while in theaters. Composer Randy Newman received an Oscar nomination for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score.

Josh and Aaron discuss the film’s plot and characters, its blend of live action and stop motion animation, and its music and songs. The brothers cap off the podcast by talking about the film’s legacy.

James and the Giant Peach is streaming on Disney+

Welcome to Episode 0 aka The Dark Match of This Wrestling Life -- the latest addition to the Pop Break family of podcasts.

In this episode, Pop Break editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin introduces the concept of the monthly series -- it's a celebration of fandom as well as a platform to champion wrestlers the hosts and guests feel never got their proper praise.  Bill gives the background of his 30+ year fandom of pro wrestling (he's a fourth generation wrestling) and how it's had a positive impact on his personal life. He ends the podcast by championing Jerry Lynn -- who wrestled for ECW, TNA, WWE, WCW, Global, Michinoku Pro and currently works as a coach for All Elite Wrestling.

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

Meet Iris & Rachel, two friends here to discuss monthly anime-related topics such as news, great manga to read, & awesome anime to watch!

This week, it’s our first episode with The Pop Break! It’s also almost time for the Spring 2021 Anime season to start! Listen to Rachel and Iris talk about new anime titles coming soon and which ones they’re the most excited about. Enjoy as they discuss their monthly manga (Blood on the Tracks) and finally, what anime they’ve watched lately!

Make sure to follow them on Instagram & Twitter and be sure to  check in monthly for the Manga of the Month choice so you can join in the discussion!

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for the movie portion of their March retrospectives. This month the brothers are looking at Memento, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its US release.

Memento made its debut at the Venice Film Festival in 2000. It first hit US theaters on March 16, 2001. It was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, based on a short story by his brother Jonathan. Memento stars Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance investigator seeking revenge on the man that killed his wife during a home invasion.

Complicating matters is Leonard’s inability to make new memories, the result of blunt force trauma he suffered during the break-in. Seemingly aiding Shelby in his quest for vengeance are his “friends” Teddy and Natalie, played by Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Jessica Jones).

Memento garnered critical acclaim, including a standing ovation at Venice and two Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing. It made approximately $40 million at the box office, respectable for a film that cost less than $10 million.

Josh and Aaron talk about the film’s plot, its non-linear structure, and the performances before discussing how the film compares to Christopher Nolan’s later work.

For another Christopher Nolan movie, you can listen to the brothers talk about Inception with Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin.

Memento is available on Amazon Prime Video.