The Pop Break

This year, The Pop Break is excited to bring you some very special programming during those extra long months when your favorite Pop Break podcasters are taking a rest. Pop Break staffer and host of the Media/Lit Podcast Randy Allain is your master of ceremonies as we take some creative journeys down the corridors of popular culture. 

This month, we gather to celebrate a jam-packed summer movie slate with a couple of cinephile podcasting duos. So far, horror has reigned supreme at the box office, so Hannah Ayars and Matt Hanna of Horror Hour With the Hannas are here to help us unlock the blood, gore, and chilling existential mystery of the summer. It’s also a big summer for Hollywood’s top power couple, so we had to invite the hosts of It’s Tom-plicated: A Tom Holland Podcast: Pop Break Podcast director Alex Marcus, and Manish Mathur!

Join us as we decide what was hot, what was not, and what we anticipate from the rest of the cinematic summer.

There’s arguably no superhero in existence that has been reimagined, redefined, or reinterpreted more than Batman.  No matter how many times he’s been rebooted, audiences are always willing to come back to Gotham City’s greatest defender.  With so much Bat content out there, there’s plenty to dissect, analyze, and of course, rank!  This podcast is dedicated to a surgical evaluation of Batman’s history, with a focus on ranking several topics in the world of Batman, among other classic Bat themes and characters.

Join hosts Daniel Cohen, Pop Break’s former Film Editor, and Kris Ingersoll, co-host of the Media/Lit podcast, as they bring on several guests every month to share their passion for the one and only Dark Knight.  From Adam West to Robert Pattinson, no bat stone will be left unturned.  Bottom-line: If you’re a Batman fan, this is required listening.

In honor of the new DC Universe’s upcoming second movie, Supergirl, we are honoring all the great DC female superheroes, and what better way to do that than with a draft!

Joining Kris and Daniel this month, we have several Draft and Batman by the Numbers Alumni!  Once again, Alex Marcus, Podcasting Director of the Pop Break, is back again, as are both hosts of the Anime x Pop Podcast, Josh Sarnecky (also co-host of the Anniversary Brothers Podcast), and Amanda Rivas (also co-host of the Socially Distanced Podcast).

Also making their return, it’s Perry Constantine of the Superhero Cinephiles Podcast, and Derrick McDuff (of the Underrated and Midnight Film Society Podcasts), who last joined us last year for our Definitive Superman Draft!

Per usual, the categories for this draft will span multiple media, and all will be discussed at the beginning of the podcast!  If you’re a fan of these great DC Female Superhero (and Villian) characters, this draft is simply a must listen!

Your reality TV besties have arrived! Michelle Chapman and ⁠Mostly Nitpicking⁠’s DJ Chapman are dishing on all the drama, delusion, and occasionally genuine emotion from your favorite dating and competition shows. Love is Blind? Covered. RuPaul's Drag Race? Absolutely. The entire Bachelor franchise and whatever Netflix dropped this week? Honey, they watched it so you don't have to — but honestly, you should watch it too.

Your favorite pod trio returns as Allie Nelson from Not Couple Goals joins Michelle and DJ to discuss the latest week of Love Island USA episodes. They discuss Sol and Gabe's unfair exit and what it reveals about the current islanders. They then deep-dive into Casa Amor and how this season differs from recent ones in how the show has shaken up the couples.

This is Podelay, a podcast dedicated to alternative rock pioneer Beck Hansen! After completing their Pod of Doom series, Randy Allain (Media/Lit) and Justin Mancini (TheCineMaverick.com) are back to take on a whole new genre. Our resident music podcasters are joined by Kris Ingersoll of Batman by the Numbers and the Media/Lit podcast, and this time, Randy steps into the host chair so that Justin can discover something new.

In the eighth episode, Justin, Kris, and Randy are joined by Doug Lief of Nostalgia Arcanum and Playing by Ear as they get back to Beck’s wide-ranging, eclectic rhythms. They offer thoughts on the religious connotations of scarecrows, stadium anthems that may (or may not) wear out their welcome, and the versatile voicework of one Christina Ricci. And as always, they recommend other artists for your listening pleasure.

In every episode, each host will spotlight the following:

·        Where It’s At: a track they really like.

·        It’s A Loser, Baby: a track they don’t.

·        Sing It Again: a favorite lyric.

·        Such A Beautiful Way: a favorite musical moment.

Join them as they travel to a destination a little up the road from the conversations and the pods you know. Please join us for the show that poses one simple question: I’m a podcast, baby, so why don’t you stream me?

Host Picks:

Where It’s At (A Song We Think Is Underrated or Just Really Like)

Doug – Rental Car

Justin – Missing

Kris – Qué Onda Guero

Randy – Go It Alone

It’s a Loser, Baby (A Song We Don’t Like So Much)

Doug – Broken Drum

Justin – E-Pro (qualified)

Kris – Missing (qualified)

Randy – Rental Car (qualified)

Sing It Again (A Favorite Lyric)

Doug – E-Pro

Justin – Scarecrow

Kris – Emergency Exit

Randy – Hell Yes

Such a Beautiful Way (A Favorite Musical Moment)

Doug – Earthquake Weather

Justin – Earthquake Weather

Kris – Earthquake Weather

Randy – Black Tambourine

Other Artists We’ve Been Listening To:

Doug – The Who, Led Zeppelin, The War on Drugs, The National, Shearwater

Justin – Jonny Greenwood

Kris – Jimmy Eat World

Randy – Harry Styles

Your reality TV besties have arrived! Michelle Chapman and ⁠Mostly Nitpicking⁠’s DJ Chapman are dishing on all the drama, delusion, and occasionally genuine emotion from your favorite dating and competition shows. Love is Blind? Covered. RuPaul's Drag Race? Absolutely. The entire Bachelor franchise and whatever Netflix dropped this week? Honey, they watched it so you don't have to — but honestly, you should watch it too.

This week Michelle and DJ discuss the second week of Love Island USA. They cover all of the re-couplings and which couplings they think will stick. They wrap up with catching everyone up with Ru Paul's Drag Race All Stars.

There’s never a dull moment in the world of anime and Pop Break is diving right into the action! Join anime enthusiasts Amanda Rivas and Josh Sarnecky as they geek out monthly with dedicated experts and special guests on exciting anime news, trending anime in TV and/or movies, and anime recommendations spanning different genres that everyone should be watching. If you are a lifelong anime lover or taking the initial leap into the genre that has something for everyone, this is the podcast for you!

Join us as we bring the band back together to chow down on pizza and strawberry sundaes while doing karaoke! Blerd Watchers’ Marshall and Courtney Stevenson and DJ Chapman of Roses and Rejections and Mostly Nitpicking make a triumphant return to talk about the second season of Netflix’s Devil May Cry. 

Our enthusiasts take a stroll through the anime content minds to discuss favorite series they’ve been watching recently, including Josh’s recommendation of Marriage Toxin, Amanda’s recommendation of Agents of the Four Seasons, DJ’s recommendation of Ace of Diamonds - Season 2, Marshall’s recommendations of Daemons of the Shadow Realm and Claymore, and Courtney’s recommendation of Witch Hat Atelier. All recommendations are found on Crunchyroll except for Claymore, which is on Amazon Prime. 

For our Anime Pregame, they share their thoughts on what video games they would like to see adapted into a future anime or animated series as an homage to this month’s topic.  

In their feature review section, our enthusiasts discuss Vergil’s anime introduction, Dante’s story arc this season, new characters and villains, the soundtrack, and so much more. 

Josh and Aaron Sarnecky are here to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Superman Returns.

Superman Returns is a superhero film directed by Bryan Singer, who co-wrote the movie with Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. It is based on the DC Comics character Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film acts as both an alternate sequel to Superman II and a reimagining for the 21st century. The film opened in theaters on June 28, 2006.

In the film, Superman/Clark Kent (Brandon Routh) returns to Earth after five years in space looking for the remains of Krypton. He must stop Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) from reshaping the map with stolen Kryptonian technology. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) now has a husband and son, Richard (James Marsden) and Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu). She has moved on from Superman until he flies back into her life.

Other characters include Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White (Frank Langella), photographer Jimmy Olsen (Sam Huntington), Luthor’s henchwoman Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey), and Clark’s mother Martha Kent (Eva Marie Saint).

Superman Returns received generally positive reviews, though over the years it has been less well-received by fans. The desire to forget the film is due in part to Singer and Spacey’s legal issues. The film was nominated for one Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

Superman Returns was the ninth-highest grossing film of 2006 but a commercial disappointment, grossing $391 million on a $204 million budget. No sequel was made and the franchise was rebooted with Man of Steel. Brandon Routh donned the cape again on The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Josh and Aaron discuss the first time each of them saw Superman Returns before going into the movie’s plot, performances, action, and how the movie ties into previous installments. They also ponder the tricky question of what the movie’s legacy is.

For more superheroes, you can listen to Josh and Aaron’s podcast with Kris Ingersoll on Captain America: Civil War.

Superman Returns is streaming on HBO Max

Your reality TV besties have arrived! Michelle Chapman and Mostly Nitpicking’s DJ Chapman are dishing on all the drama, delusion, and occasionally genuine emotion from your favorite dating and competition shows. Love is Blind? Covered. RuPaul's Drag Race? Absolutely. The entire Bachelor franchise and whatever Netflix dropped this week? Honey, they watched it so you don't have to — but honestly, you should watch it too.

This week we’re cracking open the first seven episodes of Love Island USA Season 8 with guest host Allie Nelson from Not Couple Goals — and trust us, the villa is already a beautiful disaster. We roast the Islanders, salute the bombshells who showed up ready to ruin someone’s week, and marvel at the sheer volume of questionable choices being made under the guise of “connection.” If you like romance, chaos, and people confidently making the wrong decision, this episode is your new home.

Welcome to Blerd Watchers! ThePopBreak.com's monthly podcast about TV shows with a Blerdy twist! Come hang out with Courtney & Marshall, two married Blerds, as they navigate all the dopeness on TV and share insights and opinions on the monthly show topics!

Fresh off the celebrations of Courtney's birthday, she and Marshall return with plenty of news and rumours to discuss! From Alan Ritchman expanding his footprint at Amazon, to the return of a hidden gem anime, the duo cover all the news you need to know this month!  

From there, its snap trailer reaction time, as they cover the run-down of trailers that have been released since they last recorded. These include, X-men: '97, Avatar the Last Airbender, Lanterns and more! 

Turning the page on those, the couple then gets into wrapping up the Boys for the final time, reviewing s5 and giving their lasting thoughts on a great show and THAT finale! They then review Punisher: One Last Kill-a Disney+ one shot that lets us know what Frank Castle has been up to, before telling you why you NEED to be watching Man on Fire on Netflix! Finally, a blast from the past returns in the form of Bloodhounds on Netflix, the first season of which Courtney and Marshall finally finished. 

Welcome to “Not Couple Goals” where co-hosts Allie Nelson and Tyler McCarthy do a deep dive into a different ridiculous romantic thriller from the vantage point of their long-term relationship.

Allie, a TV writer/producer and actress, has an affinity for romantic thrillers, the more salacious the better. Tyler, an entertainment reporter and critic, often finds himself drawn in despite his better judgment. Join them as they explore all the ways it’s possible to love too hard… like WAY too hard.

It’s a terrifying new release as Allie and Tyler break down the 2025 movie “Obsession” at the height of its theatrical dominance. Join them as they discuss writer/director Curry Barker’s masterpiece and cover everything from Inde Navarrette’s shockingly impeccable and horrifying performance, Barker’s not-so-humble YouTube beginnings and (for some reason) shout out their favorite pasta place in NYC. Is “Obsession” worth the obsession? Listen and find out. 

Special thanks to Mallory Johns for the introduction music.

Please don’t forget to follow our hosts on Twitter @ANelRetentive & @TylerMcCarthy and Instagram @ANelRetentive and to check out Tyler’s writing at USA Insider and Allie’s at Parade and Business Insider!