The CaPC 25 for 2018

Jonathan and Sarah are reunited for this last episode of the regular season of the CaPC 25 for 2016. Joining them are special guests Luke T. Harrington and Gina Dalfonzo. Nominees for this week include “How America Lost Its F***ing Mind” by David Wong, the book “Sing for Your Life: A Story of Race, Music, and Family” by Daniel Bergner regarding Ryan Speedo Green, and the Christmas album “Simply Christmas” by Leslie Odom Jr.

Listen to the CaPC 25 for 2016 Episode 32:

The British aristocracy, the downtrodden of Atlanta, and the mass incarcerated make for strange bedfellows on this weeks episode of The 25 for 2016. Special guests Nana Docle, Tyler Burns, and Geoffrey Reiter join host Jonathan R. Clauson to talk about the end of the Downton Abbey, the drama/comedy Atlanta, and the Netflix Documentary 13th.

Listen to Episode 31:

The spiritual side of things come out on this episode of The 25 as “Dr. Strange”, “Speechless”, and “Lore” make the nomination list. Sister Sarah Kelley is off this week leaving Jonathan in charge with special guests Wade Bearden and Adam Bryant Marshall to fill in.

“Dr. Strange” is the latest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and takes the ongoing series into the realm of the spiritual and away from the naturalistic conflict seen in the series to date (Norse gods non withstanding). Benedict Cumberbatch plays Dr. Stephen Strange, an arrogant and driven neurosurgeon with his head firmly in the actual reality he sees and controls. After an accident destroys the functions of his hands he looks everywhere for healing finally to turn to the supernatural and the teachings of the “Ancient One”. Eschewing the traditional death and destruction set pieces found in the MCU movies to date, “Dr. Strange” trends the other way in with the supernatural, the themes of sacrifice, and the opposite of mass destruction.

“Lore” is the latest podcast to take pop culture by storm. Individual episodes explore historical events that reach into the dark side of human nature with a “campfire experience.” Debuting in 2015 the show has reached a pinnacle as of late with famed Sci-Fi producer Gale Anne Hurd (Aliens, The Walking Dead) attached for a TV production run.

“Speechless” is a new sitcom on ABC that is treading new ground featuring a lead actor with cerebral palsy. With an over protective mother played by Minnie Driver, the show revolves around her relationship with her son, husband,  and her two other children who are in perfect health. The show takes extreme liberty with tokenism and stereotyping, but never to a degree that is condescending. JJ DeMeo (played by Micah Fowler) is not presented as a “special soul” that needs special attention, or as a helpless victim who we should feel pity for. Rather we wee JJ as a normal teenager, pulling pranks, tricking his aide and getting drunk at a high school party, and being interested in the opposite sex.

Which of these three nominations will make the list? Which will come off the list this week as the show continues toward the epic show down in December?

Listen to The 25 Episode 30:

The CaPC 25 returns with Erin Straza and D. L. Mayfield joining Sarah and Jonathan for this week’s episode. The nominations this week don’t involve video games or movies, but ancient personality tests, another Top 25–like list from author Terry Glaspey, and America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal.

75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know: The Fascinating Stories behind Great Works of Art, Literature, Music, and Film is the nomination from Sarah Kelly this week. The American protestant tradition has a rather utilitarian way of looking at art, and the list from Glaspey serves as a way of helping evangelicals reconnect with the arts be it music, painting, movies, and so on.

Grace VanderWaal, the 12-year-old ukulele playing singer/songwriter took America’s Got Talent by storm, even earning the brooding praise of Simon Cowell. Talent and spirit in the raw form, before the lifestyle of fame and fortune take its toll, brings a breath of fresh air to the airwaves and to Erin.

The Enneagram Test is having a moment of resurgence as people take a test to help identify which of the nine character types they most closely identify as. Danielle takes it a bit further by identifying what the downside of the personalities can be to help people realize more about themselves, how they interact with those around them, and how to communicate better.

Listen to The CaPC 25 Episode 29:

All is not lost on this epic episode of The CaPC 25 for 2016. Amanda Wortham and C.T. Casberg join Jonathan and Sarah for the first episode where someone’s nomination is rendered ineligible half way through the show. Amanda bring the new hit NBC drama This Is Us, while C.T. brings VR technology to the table of nominations along with Jonathan’s nomination of The Brilliance’s new album All Is Not Lost. One of these three will make it on the list, two of them will not.

This Is Us, nominated by Amanda Wortham, is the emotional catharsis our country needs. This “dramedy” series created by Dan Fogelman, according to Amanda, is worth fueling all our negative emotion from social media, the election, and whatever else is causing anguish into. this show about a group of characters turning 36 from all walks of life. An actor quitting his job in front of a live audience, a mother who looses a child during birth, a man finding his birth father who abandoned him, and other stories that flow across a group of people who share a common birthday is the impetus for this breakout hit from NBC.

All Is Not Lost, nominated by Jonathan, is the latest album from The Brilliance after their successful album “Brother” due out on November 9th. The album continues the trend of going where few “Christian” artists tend to go dealing head on with topics of systemic racism, hatred, and repentance on a national level rather than giving a cookie cutter “uplifting” experience. With excellent music arrangement and production, the album stands out as one of the most important releases this year.

The year of VR technology, nominated by C.T. Casberg, covers a multiple offering of devices but centers on the experience of “presence.” The technology goes from simple cardboard cut outs for your high powered smart phone, to VR set ups that can set you back over $3k or higher depending on how much fidelity you want with the experience. Church services, exclusive concert seatings, dedicated films, and of course video games are all getting in on the technology

Listen to The CaPC for 2016 Episode 28:

The CaPC 25 is back for another episode with the movie ‘Hell or High Water’, video game ‘Overwatch’, and the new daytime talk show ‘Harry!’. Special guest Drew Dyck returns along with Richard Clark to join Sarah and Jonathan as the quartet deals with Skype malfunctions, name pronunciations, and Richard doing his Harry Connick, Jr. impersonation.

All that and more on this episode of The CaPC 25 for 2016!

It’s the trifecta of episodes as Kevin McLenithan from Seeing & Believing joins Jonathan and Sarah to add their nominations to the list. The film The Innocents from director Anne Fontaine, Midnight Special from Jeff Nichols, and Andrew Sullivan’s lamenting on how I Used To Be A Human Being are up for nominations to be included on The CaPC 25 for 2016. One of these nominations will be added to the list and something on the list must come off. Will another movie finally grace the list or will Andrew Sullivan’s musings take the day. Find out on this week’s episode of The CaPC 25.

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The 25 for 2016 has reached the point where something will be added and something will be removed from the list this week. Joining Sarah and Jonathan this week is special guest Mike Perna who attempts to nominate the first board game for the CaPC 25. Also up for the list this week is the CBC show Schitt’s Creek and the latest entry in the Deus Ex franchise, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. 

Listen to Episode 24:

You can subscribe to “The 25” on iTunes and Stitcher Radio

Pop Culture for 2016 has been refined week by week to bring the CaPC 25 and now we add the final item to the list. Richard Clark and Cray Allred join Sister Sarah & The Establishment this week as Overwatch, No Man’s Sky, and Mr. Robot are nominated for the 25th slot in the weekly show.

Overwatch is a game from Blizzard Entertainment that has brought us titles such as Warcraft, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft. Richard believes that the latest multiplayer outing from one of the industries biggest developers is important for its emphasis on team work, encouraging supportive behavior, and having an aesthetic that transcends the normal military shooter stereotype founding most online multiplayer video games. Overwatch is part of the continuing trend that explores what is possible within the shooter when the team is given as much attention as the individual.

No Man’s Sky is the exact opposite giving players a taste of solitude in a universe that is too big for any one human to explore in their lifetime. The universe of No Man’s Sky is built upon a set of algorithms that create a malleable framework for which your explorations are derived from. No one planet, species, or encounter is ever the same form player to player with the quest for reaching the center of the universe as the end goal. The appreciation of creation within the vastness of No Man’s Sky along with the awe of what is possible to help us grasp that appreciation more effectively is Jonathan’s reason for nominating one of the biggest titles for 2016.

Mr. Robot is a show that helps give voice to the anti-establishment sentiments brewing in the United States currently. Elliot Anderson works for a cybersecurity firm by day and a vigilante hacker by night. Told through his own delusion and depression, Elliot gives us a view into a world that seeks to fight the “man” and by doing so gives us the vent needed in a season of dissatisfaction with the political landscape.