Pop Culturing

Lost is an American drama television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004, to May 23, 2010, over six seasons, comprising a total of 121 episodes. The show contains elements of supernatural and science fiction, and follows the survivors of a commercial jet airliner flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, after the plane crashes on a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. The story is told in a heavily serialized manner. Episodes typically feature a primary storyline set on the island, augmented by flashback or flashforward sequences which provide additional insight into the involved characters.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/n-8y6ihL_vM

Knives Out is a 2019 American mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson, and produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman. A modern whodunit, the film follows a family gathering gone awry, after the patriarch’s death leads a master detective to investigate. The film features an ensemble cast, including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/xi-1NchUqMA

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is a 2020 true crime documentary television series about the life of Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, popularly known as Joe Exotic.[1] It was released on Netflix on March 20, 2020.[2] The series focuses on the small but deeply interconnected society of big cat conservationists like Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue, and collectors such as Exotic, who Baskin accuses of abusing and exploiting wild animals.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/acTdxsoa428

Marvel’s The Avengers[6] (classified under the name Marvel Avengers Assemble in the United Kingdom and Ireland),[3][7] or simply The Avengers, is a 2012 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.[N 1] It is the sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner as the titular Avengers team, alongside Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Nick Fury, director of the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D., recruits Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and Thor to form a team that must stop Thor’s brother Loki from subjugating Earth.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/eOrNdBpGMv8 

Artie (Billy Crystal) and Diane (Bette Midler) agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town for work. Problems arise when the kids’ 21st-century behavior collides with Artie and Diane’s old-school methods.

Parental Guidance is a 2012 American family comedy film starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, and Tom Everett Scott and directed by Andy Fickman.[3] It was released on December 25, 2012.[4][5] It was the final 20th Century Fox film to be financed by Dune Entertainment as part of a deal with the studio; shortly after, the company merged with RatPac Entertainment and struck a financing deal with Warner Bros.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/sP-uO3B8ip0

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>

Cathy and Todd talk about this classic from 2000 about a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone in the early 1970s, his touring with the fictitious rock band Stillwater, and his efforts to get his first cover story published.

Almost Famous is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. It tells the story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone in the early 1970s, his touring with the fictitious rock band Stillwater, and his efforts to get his first cover story published.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/6iyp0qcf7-w 

Todd and Cathy discuss Fast Times at Ridgemont High from 1982.  

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American teen coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Cameron Crowe, adapted from his 1981 book of the same title. Crowe went undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego and wrote about his experiences.[3]

Trailer: https://youtu.be/vzva_I8WPAg 

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>

Todd and Cathy discuss flair bartending and island hookups from the 1988 movie Cocktail.

Cocktail is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Heywood Gould, whose screenplay was based on his book of the same name. The film tells the story of a young New York City business student, Brian Flanagan, who takes up bartending in order to make ends meet. The film stars Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown and Elisabeth Shue.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/Tyd6Dh_6v74

Todd, Cathy, and their daughter Camryn talk about the Oscar nominations, the snubs, the probable winners, and why this was a good year for movies.

Oscar nomination announcements:  https://youtu.be/BEho_CNX43s 

Oscars® 2020 will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. “Oscars: Live on the Red Carpet” will air at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Cathy and Todd discuss 2020’s Golden Globe Awards.

Clips from the podcast:

Tom Hanks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mY-k-y1-5w

Kate McKinnon:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1owY3QPg4Bc

Ellen DeGeneres:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU3Hq_UgHE4