T minus 20

Explosions, heists and YouTube’s awkward dating era? This week on T minus 20:

💣 Rafik Hariri was assassinated in Beirut, triggering mass protests and forcing Syria to withdraw from Lebanon after nearly 30 years of occupation. The explosion, which killed Hariri and 21 others, sent shockwaves through the region, leading to the Cedar Revolution and an international investigation that would take over a decade to convict just one man.

💰 UK authorities were finally cracking down on one of the biggest heists in history—the Northern Bank Robbery. Back in December, a group of armed men kidnapped two bank employees and their families, forcing them to steal £26.5 million under threat of death. By February, the money started surfacing in some very creative hiding spots…

🎥 And then there’s YouTube—the site that almost never happened. Originally pitched as a video-based dating service (seriously), the founders even offered women $100 to upload videos of themselves. When the idea flopped, they pivoted, and within months, YouTube was changing the way we watched content forever.

🏆 Over at the Grammys, a shock loss for Kanye West, a shock win for Maroon 5 and a scene-stealing, emotional moment from Melissa Etheridge.

🎶 50 Cent’s Disco Inferno had clubs—and late-night TV—on fire. The video was so raunchy, it became an instant BET Uncut classic. If you ever had to mute the TV and pretend you were watching Nickelodeon when your parents walked in, we see you. 👀

🎥 At the box office, Will Smith was charming audiences in Hitch, proving that being awkward and clueless in love was still fixable with the right amount of coaching and dad jokes.

👗 J.Lo launched her first runway collection at NYFW, featuring skinny scarves, chunky knits, and a ruffled jumpsuit modeled by Naomi Campbell. Because 2005 fashion was absolute chaos and we loved every second of it.

🎧 All this and more on this week’s T Minus 20! Hit play, relive the chaos, and let’s take a trip back to 2005. 🚀

#TMinus20 #2005Nostalgia #YouTubeHistory #BankHeists #BETUncut #Grammys2005

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Tony Blair breaks records as the longest-serving Labour PM—but let’s be real, his coolest moment was inviting Oasis to Downing Street. (Noel Gallagher later called it awkward, which is ironic coming from him.) Meanwhile, his approval ratings nosedived over the Iraq War. Yikes.

Over in the world of extreme determination, Ellen MacArthur sails solo around the world in 71 days, surviving on power naps and sheer stubbornness. 🏴‍☠️

The Super Bowl goes corporate after ‘Nipplegate,’ giving us Paul McCartney instead of wardrobe malfunctions. 🏈 Meanwhile, Google Maps launches, changing road trips forever—and giving us the worst navigation arguments of all time.

On the charts? Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ cements its emo anthem status, Eminem reflects on rap feuds in Like Toy Soldiers, and Nelly teams up with Tim McGraw for a questionable country-rap crossover.

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We had such a great chat with Ryan Cabrera and he was so generous with his time that we pretty much had enough content for an entire show. So, as a special treat to our wonderful subscribers, we thought we'd give you the full interview, warts and all, in this bonus episode. 

You'll hear all about his 20th anniversary re-release of his single "On The Way Down". We discuss fatherhood, his marriage to WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss, his best mate The Miz, $20 smoothies, tour bus etiquette, the golden years of MTV, celeb reality shows and so much more!

We hope you have as much fun listening as we did getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to hang with this top bloke. 

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From Iraq’s first free elections 🇮🇶 to Canada paving the way for same-sex marriage rights 🌈, we’re unpacking the headlines that shaped history. The Royal Rumble serves up chaos (and a limping Vince McMahon) in the WWE ring 🤼‍♂️...

But, the biggest story for us this week is that US pop rock sensation Ryan Cabrera drops by to talk about the 20th anniversary of his single “On the Way Down”, the golden years of MTV and early reality shows.  🎤

Destiny’s Child’s "Soldier" marches into controversy, Elvis Presley makes a posthumous UK chart comeback with "It’s Now or Never," and Nitty’s "Nasty Girl" dominates the Aussie airwaves. 🎵

On-screen, Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning bring the chills in Hide and Seek 🌀, and RocKwiz makes its SBS debut, blending music trivia and live performances like a cozy night at the pub 🎸. Over in the literary world, John Grisham’s The Broker reminds us why spy thrillers sometimes miss the mark. 📚

Oh, and 3 Doors Down is back with Seventeen Days—a whole vibe for your rock playlist. 🎧 Tune in for nostalgia, laughs, and Ryan Cabrera’s inside scoop! 🤩 

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👑 Prince Harry’s Fashion Fiasco – A royal costume party goes awry, and the future Duke of Sussex learns a lesson in history—and headlines. ✋ Fancy dress parties are overrated anyways, but you will be shocked at the theme for this one. 

🚀 Eris, the Queen of Strife! – A distant icy rebel in the Kuiper Belt shakes up astronomy and dethrones Pluto. Goddess of discord or frozen farts? You be the judge.🔭

🗽 George W.’s Second Act – Protests, policy, and pomp at the 2005 presidential inauguration. Is freedom really on the march? 🦅

🎾 Serena Williams dominates Down Under! – A legendary comeback at the Australian Open. From shaky start to formidable queen of the court. 👑🎾

🍎 The Mini Revolution – Apple introduces the Mac Mini. Affordable, compact, and a “Switcher Box” for the masses. Tech gets tiny! 💻

🎮 Resident Evil 4’s Game-Changing Horror – Zombies, puzzles, and survival horror perfection is released on the GameCube. Pure nightmare fuel. 🧟‍♂️🎮

🎶 PLUS -The Soundtrack of January ‘05 – Mario’s 'Let Me Love You' is top of the charts, but Snoop and Destiny’s Child are keeping it hot. And we find out whether or not the UK really knows what there in for with Ciara's 'Goodies'.🎤🔥

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We've saved some of the biggest stories of 2004 for our last week of summer programming.

Protesters, dressed as Batman, scaled Buckingham Palace. Protesters, dressed as construction workers, broke into British Parliament. And Saddam Hussein, dressed as Saddam Hussein faced his first day in court following his capture. 

We dissect the conspiracy theories around Eron's Ken Lay and his mysterious death, George W Bush covers Eamon's "F**k It (I don;t want you back)", Fat Joe leans back and we provide a long awaited update on Aussie reality music TV sensation Selwyn. 

Plus our favourite film, Napoleon Dynamite, turns 20 and we put in a few calls and chat to people in his home town.  

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We're halfway through our little sabbatical and getting ready to come back with our biggest season yet. In the meantime enjoy the tall tales of Malice at The Palace - the biggest brawl in NBA history, the time Britney married K-Fed and Mel's adventures with porno Tetris. Plus we've got shaved mouse mats, tornado chasers getting sucked out of ditches and we see whether or not reality show The Biggest Loser stands up against today's moral standards!

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We're still taking a short break but now is your chance to catch up on some of our bigger moments from 2004. The Killdozer rampage, Lance Armstrong's fall from grace and who could forget the time Dave Matthews tour bus dumped a full tank of human waste on the city of Chicago!?!? 

Also we have the body horror that was the reality series The Swan, a book of 10 Big Ones from Janet Evanovich, a new album from Hanson and we discuss the subtle differences between the US and Australian versions of People Magazine. 

So get your pink on, sit with your Mean Girls in the no smoking area of Fibber McGees as you study Yelp reviews in your fave battle jacket and enjoy. 

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Its that time where we get to put our feet up, but not before we go over some of the better stories from 2004. So load up your Party Susans and get ready for Nipplegate, Ceasar Milan, some hot coffee from GTA 3 and loads more. 

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It's our best of the best for the year 2004 where the internet’s favorite new words take center stage 📖, we find out who Time’s Person of the Year was and look at all the hot topics that were trending on Google search🌟.

On the music charts, there were epic dance tracks 🕺, soulful ballads, and funky throwbacks dominating airwaves. Over on iTunes, fans downloaded pop hits and rock anthems that are now karaoke classics 🎤.

Gamers embraced groundbreaking releases, from a crime-filled sandbox adventures 🚘 to a timeless Nintendo handheld console 🎮. At the movies, superheroes, ogres, and wizards ruled the box office 🍿. Meanwhile, bookshelves overflowed with conspiracy-laden thrillers 📚, sparking debates that were just as fiery as the reviews.

On the tech front, Mozilla Firefox gave web browsing a slick new look 🔥🦊, Google introduced Gmail 📧, and The Facebook began its quiet revolution—back when “poking” was still a thing.

It was a year of cultural firsts, seismic shifts, and digital beginnings that still echo through our lives today. 🌍✨

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