Top Story Tonight!

Top Story Tonight!

Download on the App Store

Top Story Tonight! episodes

  • Easter! Part 4 - It is Finished
    Journalists from around the Roman world descend on Jerusalem to cover the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, but then some really weird things start happening. Plus, we take a closer look at Pontius Pilate, and the podcast ends with a question.
    38 min
  • Easter! Part 3 - Smoke a lotta weed?
    Time is running out. Jesus is arrested and goes on trial, while the women in his life defend him on talk TV. Then one disciple storms out of the "The Joe Roganus Experience," and Herod Antipas calls in.
    36 min
  • Podcast extra: Lotsa Matzo
    The actors in this amazing podcast always surprise me with their adlibs. Frankly, the adlibs are the best part. I asked Sheron Bellio to play "Abby," a daytime talk host similar to Oprah who interviews "The Women of Jesus" in Easter part 3 (which posts later this week). First, though, Abby surprises her studio audience with free matzo for Passover. While reading her lines, Sheron proceeds to go off script, and I can't stop laughing at the results. Here, I pull back the curtain on working as a comedic voiceover artist by revealing the raw audio of all of her takes.
    5 min
  • Easter! Part 2 - Temple Tantrum
    Jesus is profiled on a 1st Century version of Sports Center, while Jairus' daughter is an annoying preteen on Instagram talking about her own death. Then Mary Magdalene debates Caiaphas on cable TV, while Jesus finally grants one interview - to Nicodemus.
    34 min
  • Meet "Jesus" - actor Jason Grasl
    How does one find the right person to play Jesus? Finding actor Jason Grasl was an unusual journey, and his background surprised me. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2759625/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
    10 min
  • Easter! Part 1 - Who the hell is Jesus?
    A carpenter from some nowhere town up north has turned Jerusalem upside down, and no one can figure out what his deal is. A Roman soldier wants Jesus' followers to shut up, the Devil goes on pirate radio to badmouth him, while investigative reporters examine his teachings (how could anyone ever say ANYTHING good about a Samaritan?).
    27 min
  • Trailer for Easter!
    We are back with "BREAKING NEWS" about Jesus of Nazareth! It's Easter covered through social media and "fake news," as we meet the adult Jesus entering Jerusalem for Passover. Over four new episodes we follow developments online and on air, as conflicting reports suggest the Galilean carpenter is God, or just crazy. Mary Magdalene tries to livestream, the Devil takes to pirate radio, and Peter storms out of an ancient Joe Rogan podcast. Within a week, Jesus is dead. And then a weird thing happens...stay tuned.
    3 min
  • Podcast extra: Mary's consent
    Prepare yourself for something shocking. Well, it shocked me. Some biblical interpreters wonder if Mary agreed to her pregnancy, or if it happened without her consent. Here's a brief discussion, along with my own conclusion. Let me know what you think at [email protected].
    5 min
  • Podcast extra: The Non-Trump King Herod backup plan
    This is a second version of the King Herod scene with a different actor who intentionally did not do a Trump parody. I recorded it in case--God forbid--something happened to the President which would make a parody completely inappropriate. It's not nearly as funny, and I'm glad (for many reasons) that I didn't need to use it.
    8 min

About Top Story Tonight!

From the publisher's feed

We are at a critical moment in history, where the 24/7 news cycle no longer just covers the story. It influences the story. Sometimes it IS the story. Do you love history and find the media…