This Show Has Everything

Oscars for everybody! Ann and Christy are joined by Kansas Ten and pop culture enthusiast Katherine Damman to talk Gilmore Girls, whether Luke could have gone wild in Branson, MO and what the heck throwed rolls are. Then we listen back to the early, early days of TBTL, when Jen Flash Andrews and KIRO movie critic Tom Tangney discuss the year’s crop of Oscar nominees, as well as their own yin and yang movie-watching sensibilities. Things we learn: Jen has an unfortunate track record of getting kicked out of movies, Diablo Cody is going to do some very big things, and The Notebook is “the outrage of all cinema”. Oh, and THE MILKSHAKE STANDS FOR OIL.

Bonus movie recommendations: Enter The Battlefield and Big Stone Gap (Katherine), Straight Outta Compton and Ghostbusters (Christy), Spotlight and Sicario (Ann).

It’s been a graphic week on TBTL, and Mike, Meredith and Ann are ready to talk about (among other things) persistent cat pee, a “destroyed” bathroom at a baby shower, and (cough) mayonnaise. Andrew’s upset because Professor Bananas has turned his closet into her personal ammonia-scented paradise, Luke is upset because his dreams of a first class upgrade were crushed, and we’re upset because Luke’s financial mismanagement led to the temporary closure of the TBTL email accounts. In today’s LRB Science Corner, instead of exploring the possibilities of the ‘brown note’ we encourage the scientists of America (and the world, really) to focus on identifying the ‘O-note’. Plus, Meredith prepares to take over the cat-whispering empire of Jackson Galaxy, Mike shares some details about his Frankenstump, and Ann states the obvious by identifying Kanye as a d-bag.

There’s nothing better than a great origin story. For her October Phlashback, Phyllis Fletcher takes Mike and Bobby back to the day Luke shared with the world the note left on his backward-facing car in the maritime village of Port Townsend, WA, that brought a colorful addition to the TBTL lexicon. And while we have her, Phyllis kindly takes the boys (who have two journalism degrees and zero journalism jobs between them) through how her awesome day job works.

Our own notable parking stories include public humiliation, residential scolding and municipal theft—but at least none of us choked in class while trying to get the Led out.

This episode Phlashes back to October 24, 2014, Don’t Be A Dombass. 

Here! Here! (Hear? Hear?) Mike is back, and fills Bobby, Meredith and the Wagoneers in on where he’s been the last month or so before we recap the latest week of TBTL. It’s actually a pretty heavy story, but have no fear: It’s balanced out by personified pets, Uncle Ike’s $2 bills, grievances with Iceland, a prescription for a glass of cranberry juice, and a call to stop body-shaming giant pandas. (Especially on the bamboo casting couch.)

Ann Lundholm is flanked by TBTL line-of-succession members Phyllis Fletcher and Stu the StuBot Neuman at Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza in St. Paul for a meta look back at times TBTL has taped live in restaurants. (Insert Kelly O drop here.) Over beers and a half No. 4 (Meatball, Ricotta & Garlic) / half No. 5 (Fennel Sausage, Hot Salami, Onion & Cracked Green Olives) pie, the gang breaks down the spectrum of embarrassment from Luke to Andrew, builds an impassioned defense of Arby’s (except for the sad one), and even slips in a plug for Stu’s podcast The Sportive, your leading source for fan-perspective, semi-produced hot takes on Minnesota sports. Here’s hoping the boss at Black Sheep doesn’t go on the internet all the time.

Bobby, Ann and Meredith are tangled up in lanyard talk as they recap TBTL’s week at (or at least adjacent to) the PRPD conference in Phoenix, and it seems no amount of Alaska Board Room soup or nearly nude hotel room T25 is going to give Luke or Andrew Bill Murray-level confidence. Also, Ann recommends the movie Breach, Christy asks us to tell you about Jesus Creek Mysteries, and we all agree FedEx is the worst.

This episode also includes a preview of our upcoming Friday show featuring Phyllis Fletcher in Minnesota with StuBot and Ann.

Live from the Trans Am Room at the Motor Court Motel, ChiTen pastry chef Brigid “Gabriella” Schabes flanks Meredith “Mercedes” Mahan and Bobby “Should Have Been Ann” Pape for a plethora of topics from pie crusts and biscuit tips to a TBTL clip from 2008 about lady bits. In 2016 we still may not agree on how to pronounce menstruation, but at least we’re all on the same page about Gillian Anderson and left-handed smoke-shifters. And pie. We all love pie.

This episode features a clip from December 1, 2008, hour three of TBTL. Be sure to check out Linh Pham’s Wait Wait stats page at wwdt.me, and Brigid’s Instagram page!

Between the start of Bundt Cake Month in Stickabutter Studios, and a football/birthday party about to start in the Mahan Banquet Center, Ann and Meredith kick off our latest TBTL Week in Review by making Bobby hungry. Appetites, however, are quickly lost thanks to talk about Trump, toilets and the Five-Second Rule—just in time to avoid eating Din Tai Fung leftovers, hotel room coffee and a big bag of Dick’s. But since we don’t want Misha Collins or flea market “Hue” Jackman to think we’re fat, we’ll probably just stick to biting sprinkler water.

In her inaugural AnnRant™, Ann reminds us not to be so quick to judge Luke, Andrew (or Matt Damon), and to consider the source before you sharpshoot. Less thoughtfully, Bobby reminds everyone (well, someone anyway) that if TBTL isn’t for you, there are plenty of other podcasts out there. And Meredith reminds us there are there are many, many great words to describe Stately Hot Dog Casing Donald Trump.

Here’s the article Bobby (via Luke) referenced on 1,000 True Fans.

The nights are getting cool, the leaves are starting to turn, and that means it’s time for us to head back to school. Christy and Ann are back at it again with the monthly clip show, ready to take a deep dive into the school experiences of Luke, Jen and Andrew, as well as hash out a few of our own educational grievances. We listen in disbelief to some Jesus Creek horror stories, reminisce about school lunches (or the lack thereof), shake our heads at some true “Oh, Andrew” moments, and giggle over Luke’s fashion mishaps. Plus, we start a list of people who’ve got it coming and make the first plans for the LRB book club. It’s going to be a thing, people!

Bobby, Meredith and Ann order their custom LRB sportball jerseys, steal that bag of hot Duke’s sausages that wouldn’t scan, and take a call from “Microsoft” about the “virus” on their “computer” in your latest TBTL Week in Review. We’re all a little rough from the free in-flight champagne, but it’s all good because we can tell who the king is based on the size of his candy bar, and Angela Lansbury seems to have a lot going on in the lifestyle department. This week’s hot takes will go down smooth like a bag of Trader Joe’s jerky, and then burn like that same bag of Trader Joe’s jerky.