This is the final episode in this "Season" (Smattering) of Spectacles and it features what must be our spookiest chat yet. Get under those covers and quiver with fear as we discuss horror affect, lock the windows and light a flickering candle as we explore analogy and contemporaneous meaning in popular horror films, gasp with shock verging on pleasure as we dissect texts which utilise horror conventions in the telling of their tales. Stay safe - - - woooooo!!!

This podcast also features sound effects from ZapSplat and the music of Bernard Herrmann, namely Narrative for String Orchestra (From Psycho) reused for the purposes of parody.

The feed is alive with the sound of music today as the Spectacles ensemble put on the greatest show of their lives. With special guest P.T. Barnowl, Stephen and Eva explore the perceptions, history and analyse the mechanics of what makes a musical hum on screen. Glee.

C.W. More Singing than usual.

Includes musical cover of This is Me by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul performed on piano by Harzy YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/MrKakaDanny

Stephen is wrong in the podcast, Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge is available on YouTube to stream and available to Prime subscribers for free in Britain. It's awesome.

Song sampled are;

The Dumber they Come, The Better I Like ‘Em from the musical Kid Boots, Music by Harry Tierney and Lyrics by Joseph McCarthey, performed by Eddie Cantor. I know it's pretty sexist, I'm not endorsing the message of the song. Although dumb girls deserve love too so don't let me take that from you.

Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo’bye) a song with music and lyrics by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Danny Russo from the Broadway musical Bombo performed by Al Jolson. Jolson performed minstrel acts and I'm not endorsing that either. I'm merely using him for illustrative purposes, history's a hateful place.

Music from Steamboat Willie by Wilfred Jackson and Bert Lewis.

The Broadway Melody - a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, these words are performed by Charles King.

(I’m) Young and Healthy from 42nd Street, Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Al Dubin and performed by Dick Powell. No relation to the Gavin and Stacey character.

Be A Clown by Cole Porter performed by Gene Kelly and Judy Garland.

Make 'Em Laugh written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, the song is based on Cole Porter's "Be a Clown" and performed by Donald O'Connor.

It Only Takes a Moment composed by Jerry Herman and performed by Michael Crawford and Marianne McAndrew.

All music copyright is retained by the owners and is protected in the podcast under Fair Use for illustrative, analytical or parody purposes.

Join us as we dig in to representations of animals and the natural world on screen. Fly through our dreams and personal relationships with nature. Chart the change in representations of the animal kingdom - has it become overly schmaltzified? And ultimately reflect on our call to arms - what can we do to help our planet?

Featuring Adrian, a scientist and father who also likes nature.

Causes to Tackle the Crisis in Nature

Stand for the Trees (Against HS2):

https://standforthetrees.org/

Extinction Rebellion:

https://rebellion.earth/

Global Green New Deal:

https://www.globalgnd.org/

The Dark Mountain Project:

https://dark-mountain.net/

The Millenium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere (mainly for educating ourselves):

https://mahb.stanford.edu/

Birds

Eider duck dance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxr2xyajyJw

Alex the Grey Parrot Comprehends Numbers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3w6OYsKJCc

Wikipedia link for ‘The Genius of Birds’ by Jennifer Ackerman:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Genius_of_Birds

Ethnographic Documentaries Mentioned

Robert Flaherty

http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/flaherty/

Nanook of the North

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ystHx3eA28&vl=en

Moana (1927) Restored

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwT4lVXO11k

Man of Aran

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXYC5Sv_fOQ

CW: Discussions of sexual abuse and mental illnesses.

Mental Health, we all got it and leading politicians would like you to know that they are aware of mental health too. But what lies behind the buzz-phrase? Are all conditions born the same? Do all conditions deserve equal focus or the same advice to go for a jog every other day and delete Facebook from your phone? If I catch schozophrenia will it make me good at playing the cello? All these questions and more are tossed around by the Spectacles crew in this very special, Academy-Award nominated episode.

Sit back, relax and crack open a cold Corona as we recount our views on responses to the Covid outbreak in UK journalism and social media. In this slightly more relaxed approach to a Spectacles we vent, express and call out the power as we slowly descend into the mind-soup of week number 1249 of lockdown. Boris Johnson, he ain't good. Captain Tom, he is good but society ain't good. Doctors and Nurses, they're good but we don't always have to point that out. Librarians, they are good, even if Eva won't admit it. You with me? No more spoilers, we need the listens, baybee.

Spec and her pals Tacles and A Woodpigeon are off on an increble adventure into the wilderness of deprived areas of society. Gasp in awe as they realise that a vocal elite tailor prevailaing narratives about a marginalised underclass to maintain the status quo. Quivver in fear as superficial characteristics are utilised to tar swathes of society with reductive, pernicious reputations, degrading their perceived humanity and associated rights. Cower in despair as they realise that selfishness and lies are utilised to maintain the comfort of an increasingly deluded and increasingly small number of people! Keep on listening to the end for some whimsical, self referencial fun!

The Spectacles crew find themselves up against the clock in one of the oddest and most unlikely game-shows imaginable. In Who Gets to Be a Millionaire, hosted by Goose Tarrant they have to give long-winded answers to questions relating to game shows, quizzes and ITV's recent drama Quiz. Stick around for the chat, holla when we get facts wrong and feel superior if you knew an answer we didn't. It's the British (and American) way!

If its good enough for straight-to-streaming documentaries it's good enough for the Spectacles crew. Join us as we take a cheeky dive into the world of Fetishes, Kinks and Voyeurism on screen. Somebody's voice-recording app has a fetish for outputting blank MP3 files... Can you guess whose app that is??? I bet you can.

Ever got that sneaky feeling? The feeling that your world leaders and politicians might not be entirely authentic? Well so have the Spectacles crew and we're going to be investigating our renowned leaders the best way we know how - by watching movies and TV. Join us as we revisit a swathe of films and shows which dramatise the lives of historical Prime Ministers, Presidents and Monarchs, discussing how their image has been used to question, project and protect power.

What must it be like to be a celebrity? What must it be like to live life in the public eye? How can a person grapple with the cruel dichotomy of media narrated public persona and complex private individual?Take a listen to us, three people who are not celebrities, talk through the issues of social media, journalism, Hollywood producers and the effects that they have on performers in the public eye.

We also cover our motivations in making a podcasts well as discussing the celebrities who have shaped our lives in intimate ways.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPECTACLES! You're two years old this month.