Socially Distanced

There’s never a dull moment in the world of anime and Pop Break is diving right into the action! Join anime enthusiasts Amanda Rivas and Josh Sarnecky as they geek out monthly with a panel of dedicated experts and special guests on exciting anime news, trending anime in TV and/or movies, and anime recommendations spanning different genres that everyone should be watching. If you are a lifelong anime lover or just taking that initial leap into the genre that has something for everyone, this is the podcast for you!

To kick things off on Anime x Pop, Amanda and Josh are joined by Editor-in-Chief of ThePopBreak.com and host of The Socially Distanced podcast Bill Bodkin, and one of the hottest professional wrestlers in the Texas indy scene, The Flamingo King Branden Vice, to search for the legendary One Piece! They share their thoughts on the recently announced Bruce Lee anime project slated for 2024, the debut of Monkey D. Luffy’s Gear 5 form in the One Piece anime, and the highly anticipated Netflix live action One Piece series. We hope you enjoy this adventure with our own version of the Straw hat crew!

Join us in our regular time slot on the last Monday of the month on Pop Break TV as we talk about the highly anticipated Shibuya arc on Jujitsu Kaisen and the second cour of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War as it comes to an end!

The Human Star Wars Encyclopedia" Amanda Rivas is joined by Pop Break's editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin and staff writer Amanda Clark (aka Amanda Jr.) to discuss the third entry into the live action continuation of Star Wars Rebels. Team Amanda goes deep into the Rebels and video game canon to discuss the Easter Eggs, Purgills and potential outcomes for the series, Starkiller, Ezra Bridger and space witches. They discuss Dave Filoni's attention to detail and how the writers have made every minute of the series count -- something previous Star Wars shows like Kenobi, Mando Season 3 and Book of Boba Fett failed to do.

In the pre-game segment the teaser trailer for David Fincher's new film The Killer starring Michael Fassbender is discussed.

Socially Distanced returns to a galaxy far, far away as we begin our Ahsoka review series. Yes, for the next seven weeks we're talking about the serialized adaptation of the wildly popular Star Wars character."

The Human Star Wars Encyclopedia" Amanda Rivas hosts the series and is joined by Bill Bodkin aka Baylan Bodkin, Al "Better than Ezra" Mannarino and Murjani "Chopper" Rawls to discuss the two-episode premiere. They discuss the performances from Rosario Dawson, Natsha Liu Bordizzo, Ray Stevenson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, theorize about Ezra Bridger, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Starkiller and Kanan, discuss the lore Dave Filoni has injected into the series and will this all lead to not only Filoni's "Mandoverse" film but other Star Wars properties as well.

In the pre-game segment they remember pro wrestlers Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt who passed way this week and go in-depth about Zach Snyder's Rebel Moon.

We are Sex Bomb-Omb ....1-2-3-4!

That's right it's Scott Pilgrim vs. Socially Distanced this week!Socially Distanced has decided to rewatch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in conjunction with the 13th Anniversary of Edgar's Wright big screen adaptation of Brian Lee O'Malley's popular graphic novel. 

Bill Bodkin, Amanda Rivas and Alex Marcus join forces to wax nostalgic about the clothing, hairstyles and music of the late 00's and early 10s when the film took place. They discuss their initial reaction to the film (many of which are not positive) and how they felt about their rewatch. They discuss the Scott Pilgrim character, why it bombed at the box office but has become a cult classic.

They also discuss the new trailer for Netflix's anime adaptation of the film featuring the entire cast of the live action movie.

The Summer Movie Season of 2023 was a wild one. It saw the rise of Barbenheimer and the fall of many a vaunted piece of IP -- and we're here to discuss it all...and give out some awards!

Hosts Bill Bodkin and Amanda Rivas are joined by Ben Murchison to discuss their return to theaters, the flops that were Flash and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the juggernaut that was Barbenheimer, Paramount's miscue with the latest Mission: Impossible, end of summer sleepers and are the days of big summer blockbusters over?

We also hand out "summer movie superlatives" to our favorite performances, movies, scenes, celebrity crushes, as well as the worst of the summer who all deserved a steaming hot bowl of butt soup.

Finally, we discuss the breaking news of the studios wanting to sit down with the striking WGA and Bob Iger's sudden diplomatic tone in regardless to SAG-AFTRA strike.

Come on Barbie, let's go party ... with The Socially Distanced Podcast.

Host Amanda Rivas is joined by Pop Break's editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin (or whatever's left of him), Pop Break Podcast Director Alex Marcus and brand new Pop Break writer (and Rutgers Univ summer program writer) Amanda Clark to discuss the global phenomenon -- Barbie!

In the episode they discuss why Barbie has become a box office and cultural juggernaut, it's strong message to women of all ages, the use of Matchbox Twenty's "Push," the big Ken-centric musical number, the perfect casting and if there was to be another Barbie film what would it be?

In the pre-game segment, the gang returns to the TVA as they discuss the trailer for the second season of Marvel's Loki.

The Socially Distanced Podcast concludes its "Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe" Secret Invasion mini-series.

Hosts Bill Bodkin and Amanda Rivas are joined by resident guest Tyler McCarthy (Not Couple Goals) and Pop Break Podcast DIrector Alex Marcus ... who is really steamed about this series.

In this episode, this fantastic foursome pulls no punches about the developments with G’iah, why President Dermot Mulroney suddenly hates all off world characters (despite what the MCU has shown in other shows), why the issue with the Skrulls was never solved, the undercooked romance between Fury and his wife, how long Rhodey was a Skrull and how Nick Fury was turned into the biggest villain in the MCU.

In the pre-game segment they discuss the success of Barbie and Mattel's development spree of adapting a slew of their products to the big screen. We discuss if Lena Dunham's Polly Pocket film, the Atlanta hip-hop scene set Uno, Barney starring Daniel Kaluuya or a Magic 8-Ball movie can achieve the success Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie's film has.

It's the penultimate episode of our "Keep Secret, Keep It Safe" mini-series reviewing Marvel's Secret Invasion.

Hosts Bill Bodkin and Amanda Rivas are joined by resident guest Tyler McCarthy (of the Not Couple Goals Podcast) and special guests Michelle and DJ Chapman of the Roses & Rejections Podcast.

In this episode they discuss the decision of Disney putting the first three episodes of Secret Invasion to Hulu and if this is a move to help Secret Invasion or a larger move about streaming platform consolidation.

After that discussion, the panel discusses the Skrull revolt against Gravik, Olivia Colman's performance, the lack of Gi'yah in the series and the overall lack of runtime in each episode and how it's negatively impacting the series. They then theorize about the potential connections to The Marvels, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four and more.

Also if you want to support the actors currently on strike, please check out the Entertainment Community Fund.

The Socially Distanced Podcast is loaded this week as we're not just talking about all things Secret Invasion Episode 4 "Beloved," but also Star Wars, the future of Star Wars & Marvel on Disney+, big budget theatrical releases, streaming and the impending SAG AFTRA & WGA strikes.

Yes, it's a lot but host Bill Bodkin along with special guests Murjani Rawls and Tyler McCarthy are discussing it all.

In the pre-game segment they discuss the new trailer for Ahsoka and how it could lead to a second season ... that's if Bob Iger deems it so and if the SAG and WGA strikes push things down the road for all things related to content on not just Disney but all things Hollywood.

In the discussion of Secret Invasion Episode 4 Bill takes the writers to task for an incorrect wrestling reference, they discuss their love of the Priscilla and Fury scenes, their frustrations with G'iah's lack of direction, and just where this series is going. Murjani drops a number of theories about The Avengers while Bill and Tyler try to tie all things The Marvels, Fantastic Four, and Thunderbolts into the series.

Welcome back Skrulls and Humans to Part 3 of our "Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe" mini-series about Marvel's Secret Invasion.

In this episode, Amanda Rivas, taking on hosting duties as Bill Bodkin's Skrull, Alex Marcus, and Tyler McCarthy discuss Secret Invasion, Episode 3, "Betrayal." Listen as they go in-depth about the relationship between Priscilla and Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn's terrific portrayal as Talos stepping into his own, Gravik growing more ruthless, and the interesting turn of the relationship between G'yah and Talos. They also don their tin foil hats to discuss potential Ms. Marvel, Agents of the Shield tie-ins, G'yah becoming the first good Super Skrull and taking to Gravik, why Nick Fury isn't a Scroll after all, and why Alex should write for Marvel ultimately. 

In the pre-game segment, the gang talks about their level of hype for Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part 1 given the highly favorable early reviews from the critics, why Tom Cruise is a Skrull, and what potentially Tom Cruise could be doing as Ethan Hunt if he keeps making MI movies into his 80's.