The Cracked Podcast

The most important movies in history don’t always walk away with Academy Awards. In this podcast, you'll hear Jack O'Brien explain what Teen Wolf can tell us about the history of race relations in America, Dan O'Brien point out that Last Action Hero was basically the 1990’s answer to Inception, and Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) argue that The Matrix deserved to win Best Picture. Don’t start arguing in the comments section before you throw on your headphones and click play above.

Police sketch artists, speed bumps, late-night talk shows and the QWERTY keyboard all have one thing in common: They're shitty ideas that have somehow gained immortality. On this podcast, Cracked editors Jack O'Brien, Dan O'Brien and Robert Evans talk about bad ideas that refuse to go away. We're not being tongue-and-cheek about the "bad" part either -- speed-bumps kill eighty-five people for every life they save and, seriously, have you ever watched Jay Leno? That man is an engine fueled purely by nostalgia. If you're ready for a crash course in how some of the worst ideas manage to live forever, throw on your headphones and click play above.

Police sketch artists, speed bumps, late-night talk shows and the QWERTY keyboard all have one thing in common: They're shitty ideas that have somehow gained immortality. On this podcast, Cracked editors Jack O'Brien, Dan O'Brien and Robert Evans talk about bad ideas that refuse to go away. We're not being tongue-and-cheek about the "bad" part either -- speed-bumps kill eighty-five people for every life they save and, seriously, have you ever watched Jay Leno? That man is an engine fueled purely by nostalgia. If you're ready for a crash course in how some of the worst ideas manage to live forever, throw on your headphones and click play above.

Did you know there were like three different books about gawky, dark-haired 12-year-olds going to wizard school before ‘Harry Potter’? Two separate inventors actually filed patents for the telephone on the exact same day. On today's Cracked podcast, Jack O'Brien, Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) and Kristi Harrison go head-to-head-to-other-head and talk about great ideas a bunch of people had simultaneously. Is it plagiarism, sheer coincidence or Jungian “collective unconsciousness” hippy bullshit? You can find out now if you throw on your headphones and click play above.

Did you know there were like three different books about gawky, dark-haired 12-year-olds going to wizard school before ‘Harry Potter’? Two separate inventors actually filed patents for the telephone on the exact same day. On today's Cracked podcast, Jack O'Brien, Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) and Kristi Harrison go head-to-head-to-other-head and talk about great ideas a bunch of people had simultaneously. Is it plagiarism, sheer coincidence or Jungian “collective unconsciousness” hippy bullshit? You can find out now if you throw on your headphones and click play above.

Superpowers! The word alone conjures up images of heroes stopping trains with their fists or shooting lasers from their eyes. But most desirable powers we can imagine don’t require a costume, just a camera. In this week's podcast, Jack O'Brien, Michael Swaim and Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) talk about the greatest unacknowledged superpowers in film. Hollywood is filled with characters that can montage their way into expertise, never be seen in anything less than perfect lighting and even end an argument just by dropping a sick burn. Every movie protagonist has a list of powers that could make Spiderman weep. You can hear them all now if you throw on your headphones and click play above.

Superpowers! The word alone conjures up images of heroes stopping trains with their fists or shooting lasers from their eyes. But most desirable powers we can imagine don’t require a costume, just a camera. In this week's podcast, Jack O'Brien, Michael Swaim and Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) talk about the greatest unacknowledged superpowers in film. Hollywood is filled with characters that can montage their way into expertise, never be seen in anything less than perfect lighting and even end an argument just by dropping a sick burn. Every movie protagonist has a list of powers that could make Spiderman weep. You can hear them all now if you throw on your headphones and click play above.

Dan O'Brien, Michael Swaim and Cody Johnston just finished filming  their own take on the 'Star Wars' universe . This week they sat down with Jack O'Brien and came up with some advice for how Disney might unfuck the series. Lightsaber shields and arrows! A Boba Fett / Han Solo anti-buddy cop movie! Spike Lee directing a goddamn 'Star Wars' sequel! All these ideas are better than watching a 108-year-old Harrison Ford pretend to be a scruffy nerf-herder. You can hear them all now if you throw on your headphones and click play.

Dan O'Brien, Michael Swaim and Cody Johnston just finished filming  their own take on the 'Star Wars' universe . This week they sat down with Jack O'Brien and came up with some advice for how Disney might unfuck the series. Lightsaber shields and arrows! A Boba Fett / Han Solo anti-buddy cop movie! Spike Lee directing a goddamn 'Star Wars' sequel! All these ideas are better than watching a 108-year-old Harrison Ford pretend to be a scruffy nerf-herder. You can hear them all now if you throw on your headphones and click play.

The Knockout Game is part of a war on white people! Satanists are abducting babies all over the country, and if your kids live through that, some asshole's going to poison their Halloween candy! Every few months, the media cooks up a new feast of terror for gullible parents to forward across the Internet. Jack O'Brien and Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) trace the moral panics of the recent past back to their roots, and learn something awful about all of us along the way. If you've ever wondered just how these new hysterias come about and just what they say about us, throw on your headphones and click play.