What if your New Year’s resolutions were… actually fun? In our final episode of 2025, we’re talking pop culture resolutions: low-stakes, joy-first goals tied to the movies, books, games, and media we already love. No pressure, no self-optimization—just intentional leisure and a better relationship with our downtime.

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Hold on to your broomsticks because this week on What The Hype we’re flying high into the world of ‘Wicked.’ Join hosts Pam and Eric, plus special guest (and ‘Wicked’ superfan) Annie Scott as they discuss the two part big screen adaptation of the hit musical. How does ‘Wicked: For Good’ stack up against its predecessor, and what were our thoughts on the additions made to the plot– including the two new songs added? What were our favorite bits across both films, and were there parts we didn’t care for? We discuss all this and much more on this week’s episode of the pod!

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Major spoiler warning for Stranger Things season 5!

Stranger Things is BACK and we’re diving straight into our hottest takes on Season 5 Part 1. From the thrill of returning to Hawkins to the genuinely unexpected twists (hi, suddenly-grown Holly Wheeler), we’re breaking down everything hitting hard and everything… not so much. We get into the Wheeler house attack, the military takeover, Dustin’s grief spiral, Eleven’s training glow-up, the wild new Upside Down army base, Robin and Will’s long-overdue team-up, the kids casually kidnapping a whole family, and MAX MAX MAX. Plus Vecna’s eerie new strategy and Will’s emerging powers. We wrap with bold predictions, wormhole theories, and the early death roster (sorry in advance, Steve and Will). Let’s go back into the Upside Down.

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Welcome back to What The Hype where this week we’ll be diving into ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ ahead of the season 2 release on Disney+! 

Pam and Micah are joined by special guest and friend of the show, Mike Schubert of ‘The Newest Olympian’ podcast. Together they discuss their Percy Jackson origin stories, what they loved about season one of the hit Disney+ adaptation, what they’re looking forward to in season 2, and much more!

Where you can find Mike online:

https://www.thenewestolympian.com/

https://www.schub.es/

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Struggling to find things to binge with family and friends over the holiday season? If so, we’ve got you covered on this week’s What The Hype!

Join hosts Eric and Pam as they share a few recommendations they think would make for perfect watching material after your Thanksgiving feast, or even in that lull between Christmas and New Years. In addition to sharing some television and movie titles they think you’ll love, the hosts also each bring a bonus game recommendation to the table so you’ll have plenty of entertainment options to consider!

Television/Movie titles mentioned in this episode: ‘Psyche’ (2006), ‘Julie and the Phantoms’ (2020), ‘Nonnas’ (2025), ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ (2025)

Games mentioned in this episode: Codenames ONLINE! (https://codenames.game/), Skribbl! (https://skribbl.io/), Trial By Trolley

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From mall rats to mind flayers, we’re catching up on Stranger Things Seasons 3 and 4 before Season 5 drops! Eric, Laura, Micah, and Pam relive the Starcourt Mall chaos, decode Russian radio signals, and try to avoid getting trapped in Vecna’s curse. Bring your Eggos and emotional support walkman - it’s getting weird in Hawkins.

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Grab your garlic and your pitchforks - we’re talking all about classic monsters in our final spooky season episode of the year! This week, Eric, Laura, and Micah look back at Universal’s horror icons, from Frankenstein and The Wolf Man to The Blob. We swap favorite adaptations, confess which monsters we secretly root for, and even build our dream monster team-up. It’s creepy, it’s campy, and it’s full of nostalgia.

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This week, we’re diving deep into the twisted, brilliant mind of the King of Horror himself: Stephen King. From Carrie (which almost ended up in the trash) to The Shining, Misery, and It, we’re exploring what makes a King book so unmistakably King. We share our first introductions to his work, favorite stories, and why his film adaptations are some of the best (and occasionally weirdest) out there. Long live the King!

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It’s spooky season, and this week we're getting real about what scares us most. From creepy childhood stories to jump scares we’ll never forgive, we’re breaking down why being scared is actually… kind of fun. Join Laura, Eric, and Micah for a frightfully good time!

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Grab your sequins and feather boas and prepare to take a dive into Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’!

On this episode of What the Hype, Pam is joined by her brother (and fellow Swiftie), Sergio to offer up our immediate initial thoughts on Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album.

Did the dream team of Martin, Shelback, and Swift live up to the hype, and are we pleased with the sound of the album overall? Plus, we give our thoughts on why we think reviews are mixed among fans, and share our top five tracks off the album!

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