The Flopcast

We're celebrating the holidays in Chickentown by drinking coffee and making podcasts! (It's pretty festive around here all year, actually.) Kevin reports on recent shows by Garfunkel and Oates (but not DJ Jazzy Jeff), and Aimee Mann (whose Christmas show guests included Jonathan Coulton and an actual Bangle); Kornflake reports on weird holiday lawn decorations (yes, turkeys are involved) and her own upcoming holiday concert plans (yes, saxophones are involved); in a holiday-themed edition of "Chickens in the News," we learn about the Big Chicken Chorus (and why we have to go to Georgia RIGHT NOW); and we're watching all the Rankin Bass Christmas specials in order this year (yes, even Nestor). Also, if there's time, we're going to turn into otters and start a jug band.

Kornflake's renovation plans involve an Atari 2600 and a hammock; it's National "Blossom" Day, but we're more interested in "My Two Dads" and "Gimme a Break"; we compare weddings and science fiction conventions (because sometimes it's hard to tell the difference); Kornflake attends an a capella concert that includes a lollipop thief and a rumble; cartoonist Whit Taylor teaches us how to mess with ice cream shop employees; and being total 80s geeks, we're ridiculously excited about "Here Comes the Reign Again," a compilation album of new wave cover songs. Look, maybe you've moved on, but some of us never got over Duran Duran.

Kornflake makes her triumphant return to Chickentown, just in time to teach us about unfrozen cavemen! (Was our favorite Facts of Life girl Mindy Cohn ever frozen in ice? Perhaps not, but it's a rumor we just sort of started.) Then Kevin reports on our final convention of the year, Super Megafest! Including: Hula hooping with Niki Luparelli, Barbapapa talk with Ken Reid, legendary comic book artist Ramona Fradon (Aquaman! Metamorpho! SUPER FRIENDS!), Ninja Turtle history with Kevin Eastman, quality Monkee time with Micky Dolenz, a Bionic reunion (with Lindsay Wagner and Lee Majors!), a Star Trek: The Next Generation reunion (with Deanna Troi, Tasha Yar, and Howling Mad Murdock!), a surprise detour to see Louis CK, a surprise hug from Debbie Gibson, and (of course) a Stormtrooper mermaid.

We kick off the holidays with an extra-weird show, because Kornflake was too busy to join us in the studio! But worry not -- the Mayor of Chickentown stepped in as emergency guest co-host, and we figured out how to get Kornflake on the show anyway! (Sort of.) This week: Kevin and the Mayor discuss the recent TV Guidance Counselor live show with Emmanuel Lewis (now available in convenient podcast format!), we recall the DragonCon panel in which Kevin and a bunch of other nerds talked about all the goofy Marvel Comics TV and movie projects of the 70s and 80s (also now available as a podcast!), and we present a very timely Top 4 1/2 List of our favorite turkeys! That's right -- turkeys. Angry turkeys, cartoon turkeys, hand turkeys, and maybe even a jive turkey or two. So join us for some stupid turkey talk, while we send up the Lobster Signal and try to find Kornflake.

Kornflake attends yet another Lindsay and TV's Kyle wedding (those crazy kids just can't stop getting married) and gets stuck on a lobster sign (of course); Kevin reports on shows by comedian Jim Gaffigan (yes, the Hot Pockets guy) and Irish rock band Black 47 (yes, their sax player was in Dexy's Midnight Runners, and yes, this is very important); we celebrate Danny DeVito's 70th birthday (and argue that his greatest achievement was starring in that Billy Ocean video); this week's "Chickens in the News" segment takes us all the way to the Supreme Court; and there's no need to tell Kornflake which 80s pop star will be at next week's Super Megafest convention. Somehow, she just knows.

Rhode Island Comic Con was a huge crazy fun event once again... as long as you could get inside, and stay inside. (Alas, there were some major crowd control "hiccups"...) Kevin somehow managed to do both, and shares a full convention report with Kornflake and the Mayor of Chickentown! Featuring: The stars of Clerks and Chasing Amy (they aren't even supposed to be here today!); a Raiders of the Lost Ark reunion panel; Captain Picard on a mechanical bull; Amy the Mermaid meeting her truly outrageous hero; hundreds of crazy awesome costumers (yes, there was even a BOB ROSS costume!); and Flopcast interviews with Panda Valentine (who had free cookies for everyone visiting the Wicked Geeky booth), the Humanists of Rhode Island (who are completely obsessed with George Takei), and The Great Space Coaster's Jim Martin AND Gary Gnu! (That's right -- puppet interview. You're welcome.) Also: Sadie Hawkins Day is this week, and Kornflake has a net.

Kornflake is running from the law as her ribbon-twirling habit spirals out of control; we're paranoid and suspicious about National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day (it's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know); and Kevin and the Mayor are back from San Diego, where they found capybaras, Chuck Jones art, Comicon (albeit three months late), secret weird artichoke drinks, and the bitter realization that it's a big mistake to not live in San Diego. (Oops.)

Break out your lousy miniature Almond Joy bars -- it's Halloween in Chickentown again! But this year, instead of discussing more traditional Halloween monsters (like Count Chocula), we're talking about Bigfoot! These days Kornflake is a huge fan of Bigfoot from the Perhapanauts comic book series. Meanwhile Kevin recalls Bigfoot's glory days of the mid-70s, when he was hanging around with Isis, the Six Million Dollar Man, and Wildboy. And of course, some folks believe that Bigfoot is stomping around somewhere out there in the real world! But while that would completely rule, as skeptics we must note that there is an equal amount of evidence that "The Cat From Outer Space" is real too.

A totally exhausted Kornflake is back from California, where she attended the wedding of our awesome friends, TV's Kyle and Lindsay! It was pretty much a typical wedding... except for a parade of comedy music performances, bellydancing raccoons, a video game-themed flute solo, a celebrity Ring Bear, a trip to Goofy's Kitchen, a Boob Tree bachelor party (which sounds naughty, but isn't), a song by the bride's mom (which doesn't sound naughty, but is), and a comedian at the airport who wants to show you his banana (still not sure about this one). This is why we usually don't let Kornflake leave Chickentown unsupervised...

Kevin and Kornflake talk about "Kyle and Luke Talk About Toons," as well as the end of Saturday morning cartoons on network TV (but to us, of course, they'll never really go away -- and that's one to grow on); Kevin reports on MICE (the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo), at which he found comic books featuring Andre the Giant, high school life, brain parts, private parts, turkeys, and a wicked chicken queen; and Marian Call teaches us how to chomp like a shark. Also: International Skeptics Day might be this week, but we still love Bigfoot.