Pop Rocket
228 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1.5K ratingsPop culture discussion with Guy Branum, Wynter Mitchell, Margaret Wappler and Karen Tongson
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Episodes
The Final Episode
May 24, 2019 21:56 - 1 hour - 67.6 MB**Warning - this episode contains lots of tears** For the final episode of Pop Rocket, the panel convene to give listeners one last All About, one last Jam, and they look back at the past four and a half years, and all the various milestones they’ve shared with one another and their listeners while doing the show--marriages, deaths, birth, book deals, finding a new home, and so many other memories. It’s raw. It’s wonderful. In addition, we’ll hear phone calls from listeners and friends of ...
Ep 224 - What’s in the Cards for the Pop Rocket Panel w/ The Oracle of LA
May 17, 2019 22:16 - 1 hour - 75.4 MB**Angelenos: Tonight (May 17th) at 7pm Guy and Karen will have a conversation about Why Karen Carpenter Matters at Book Soup in West Hollywood.** In this penultimate episode, the Pop Rocket panel seeks guidance from The Oracle of LA, Amanda Yates Garcia. Each panelist pulls a card from the Oracle’s tarot deck, and gets an individual reading. What’s next for everyone? The answer’s in the cards. Also, Karen Tongson tells us about her phone call with Elizabeth Warren this week. Presidential...
Ep 223 - Charlie Says with Screenwriter Guinevere Turner
May 10, 2019 19:38 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBThis is the first of our three final episodes, and we’re joined by screenwriter Guinevere Turner (American Psycho,Go Fish) whose latest film Charlie Says just came out today, May 10th. As “budding cult-ologist” MagWaps notes, “if you think you’ve heard everything on the Mansons, trust me, this movie takes a different view.” Having grown up in a cult, Guinevere was able to draw from her experiences and insight to tell the story from the point of view of the women who were targeted and groom...
Ep 222 - Game of Thrones w/ Laura Krafft & Sarah Kessler
April 26, 2019 20:53 - 1 hour - 64.2 MBFirst off, you're welcome Game of Thrones fans. This is a super-sized Pop Rocket loaded with theories, speculation, and yes, even love. While Wynter and Karen were away, Margaret and Guy tapped two die-hard fans for a full-on discussion of the series and their thoughts now that the first two of the last six episodes have aired. Assembled in the studio this week: Guy "I've read all the George R.R. Martin books in the series" Branum Sarah "I'm in a viewing group with a gaggle of lesbians a...
Ep. 221 - The New Negroes & Black Sketch Comedy
April 20, 2019 01:42 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBThis week Wynter and Karen chat with Ellington Wells, a comedian and writer on Comedy Central’s brand new sketch show The New Negroes with Open Mike Eagle and Baron Vaughn. The panel takes a look at how black sketch comedy has involved and Wells tell us what Robert Townsend TV special inspired Vaughn to create a show with a similar sensibility. All Abouts Wynter: No Good Nick Karen: Season 4 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Ellington: Britney's Gram podcast special episode That's My Jam Elli...
Ep. 220 - Killing Eve & the Asian Woman with Amazing Hair
April 12, 2019 19:13 - 1 hour - 56.9 MB**ANNOUNCEMENT: The nomination process is now open for the next Pop Rocket Seal of Approval. This quarter we’re looking for veterans with a large body of work who have been underappreciated and haven’t received the acclaim that their body of work and stellar character deserve. If you want to submit a name, you must call and leave a message on Guy’s mom’s voicemail to tell us who you’d like to nominate and why. That number is: 530-237-4108** This week we’re joined by food writer Tien Nguyen...
Ep 219 - 1991 in Music
April 05, 2019 23:46 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBTake a trip down memory lane with Wynter, Karen and Margaret as they revisit 1991 in music. If you’ve ever been curious what song was playing when Karen experienced her first same sex kiss, tune in. If you grew up in the nineties, this episode will bring you back to that moment in time. If you spent your formative years in the aughts, and want to experience the 90s vicariously through Pop Rocket, the panel goes into great detail about what makes 1991 such a pivotal epoch, giving us grunge, n...
Ep 218 - Jordan Peele’s Us
March 28, 2019 22:25 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBPop Rocket’s come early this week! Alonso Duralde guest hosts for this, our second week of the MaxFunDrive. The deadline for supporting this show is fast upon us, so if you haven’t yet become a new or upgrading member, do it now! Go to our donation page. You can donate while listening to this special Thursday edition of the show. This episode has something for everyone--sapphic sisters, metal heads, Hallmark Channel enthusiasts and, of course, horror buffs. One note of caution: There are...
Ep. 217 - Pop Rocket Goes to USC to Teach the Kids Why Pop Culture Matters
March 23, 2019 01:30 - 1 hour - 63 MBIt’s the first live episode of Pop Rocket. Professor Karen Tongson invited the panel to give a lesson on why pop culture matters, with a focus on the past decade. You’ll learn what pop culture of the 2010s will last, and what culture won’t be remembered. Plus we’ll hear from some of Karen’s students, including a special jam brought to the show by Clayton. You won’t want to miss this must-listen episode! All Abouts Margaret: Out for Blood Karen: Shrill Wynter: The Fox-Disney merger ...
Ep. 216 - Lady Vengeance: From Bobbit and Beyond
March 16, 2019 01:48 - 57 minutes - 52.5 MBIn honor of Women’s History Month, the panel lives vicariously through women who sought revenge, from Lorena Gallo (formerly Bobbit), to Thelma & Louise. They touch on their favorite films centered around women seeking revenge...or, perhaps more accurately, justice. All Abouts Margaret: Uncover: Escaping NXIVM Karen: “Operation Varsity Blues”, aka the college admissions scandal Wynter: Free Solo Guy: Zumbo’s Just Desserts That's My Jam Margaret: Pistol Annies - Got My Name Chan...
Ep. 215 - Dame Angela Lansbury with April Wolfe and S.A. Smythe
March 09, 2019 03:15 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBWhen she was 17, Dame Angela Lansbury quit her job at a department store to take a part in a movie, as 17-year-olds are wont to do. She played a young maid to Ingrid Bergman’s character in Gaslight, a film that garnered seven Oscar nominations and two wins, including one for Best Actress for Bergman. It’s the typical tale of a young actress trying to make it big and having to struggle, role after role after role after role, to hold her own on screen with the most celebrated actors in the wor...
Ep. 214 - We Marie-Kondo the Oscars w/ Matt Rogers
March 02, 2019 01:21 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBMatt Rogers joins us to help tidy up the Oscars. The 91-year-old institution has gotten a bit cluttered, so the Pop Rocket panel applies the KonMari Method to the Academy Awards. We’ll keep everything that sparks joy, and the rest will be dropped off at an Out of the Closet in a Hefty bag. Will the short film and animated short categories survive? What about song and dance numbers? Find out. Let us know if you agree with the panel, or take issue by sharing your thoughts in the comments sec...
Ep. 213 - Horror Noire with Tananarive Due
February 23, 2019 00:37 - 1 hour - 59.1 MBWe’ve got a SCREAMINGLY great episode this week as the wonderful Tananarive Due joins us in studio for a deep cinematic dive into the world of black horror. Tananarive Due is the UCLA lecturer whose class on Get Out--The Sunken Place--was crashed by non-student Jordan Peele . She is also the executive producer of Shudder’s very first original documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror. The panel cover A LOT of ground. For horror buffs and cinephiles alike, this episode is a MUST-L...
Ep: 212 - The Fifth Annual Pop Tart Awards!
February 16, 2019 01:05 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBAre you ready for the 64th most electrifying show in Hollywood? Well get ready because it’s here, in your podcatcher: The Fifth Annual Pop Tart Awards! The panel comes together to recognize the best of the best in TV, film and everything else entertaining. What will take home the Warm Blanket Award for fuzzy comfort entertainment? Who delivered the best performance of the year? Could the panelists find consensus on the best album of the year? Barely. Plus, a bona fide celebrity makes a cameo...
Ep: 211 - Mega Movie Catch-up Edition
February 09, 2019 02:50 - 1 hour - 59 MBOn this week’s show, the panel play catch up. Each panelist was assigned to watch one film from this past year they missed when it was still in theaters. At the behest of Guy, Margaret watched Can You Ever Forgive Me. Karen Tongson was assigned Roma, but decided she wanted to check out Support the Girls, so Wynter was tapped for Roma instead. Lastly, both Wynter and Karen wanted to talk to Guy about A Simple Favor. Each panelist reported back. Who thought Roma was too slow? Did Margaret sh...
Pop Rocket Ep 210 - The State of Adam McKay & Terry Crews Gets a Vote for PRSOA
February 02, 2019 00:13 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBWill Terry Crews receive the second-ever Pop Rocket Seal of Approval? Why wasn't Margaret on this week's show? Is Adam McKay a craftsman or an artist? These questions and more will be answered on this week's Pop Rocket! Plus, in the wake of the PRSOA "Bloom backlash", the voting process has been amended. Tune in to find out how, and when there will be another nomination period. That's My Jam Wynter: Summer Walker - Girls Need Love Karen: James Ingram - Just Once Guy: RuPaul (feat. ...
Pop Rocket Ep 209 - SchadenFYRE - The Most Epic Fyre Fest Discussion Ever
January 26, 2019 00:29 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBThis week's show is a double dose of schadenfreude! The gang compares the dueling documentaries Hulu's "Fyre Fraud" and Netflix's "Fyre," which tell different versions of the tropical shit show that landed its mastermind Billy McFarland behind bars. All Abouts Wynter is all about Crashing and True Detective. Margaret is all about the memoir Love and Trouble: A Midlife Reckoning by Claire Dederer, who you may recognize from her article in the Paris Review What Do We Do with the Art of...
Pop Rocket Ep - 208 Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
January 19, 2019 02:55 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBOnce again we’re firing on all cylinders this week! It’s an ultra-packed show covering everything from The Masked Singer, Surviving R. Kelly, MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. and the need to move beyond moralistic posturing in critiquing comedy. The panel get into a lively discussion of Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up on Netflix show. One panelist loves it, one panelist thinks it’s “sinister”, and a panelist named Guy is so obsessed with one of the families featured on the show he couldn’t stop talking a...
Pop Rocket Ep. 207 Highlights & Lowlights of The Golden Globes & Netflix’s Bandersnatch
January 12, 2019 02:29 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBThe ENTIRE PANEL is back together for a jam-packed episode! They talk Golden Globes, Bandersnatch and react to some of the commercial jingles you beautiful listeners sang to us on the Pop Rocket voicemail line. All Abouts Wynter, fresh off a romantic holiday trip to Paris, is all about the Louis Vuitton Foundation's Basquiat exhibition Guy is all about Can You Ever Forgive Me Margaret is all about Regina King's Golden Globes speech Karen thinks everyone should check out the new Aus...
Pop Rocket Ep. 206 Pop Culture Resolutions for 2019
January 04, 2019 21:51 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBGuy Branum is back for our first episode of 2019! Sadly, Margaret couldn’t join us because #health and Wynter was busy being a jet setter. This week, the panelists share their pop culture resolutions for 2019, and own up to resolution fails from the past year. Writer and comedian Tara Jepsen joins us in studio and Guy is awed by the combined power of her and Karen’s “lesbian efficiency.” If you're curious about what Guy has been up to these past couple months, he catches us up. Spoiler...
Pop Rocket Ep. 205 The Pop Rocket Holiday Playlist Spectacular
December 22, 2018 00:53 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBHappy Holidays, everyone! Wynter and Karen are joined by special guest panelists Tre’Vell Anderson (Director of Culture and Entertainment at Out Magazine) and 'Who Shot Ya?'s' Alonso Duralde to create the ultimate holiday playlist. Each panelist created a top ten list of their favorite holiday songs, out of which they’d select twenty for inclusion in the official Pop Rocket Holiday Playlist. Well, that was the plan, anyway. In practice, when faced with making the tough choices, they flopped....
Pop Rocket Ep. 204 From Dafoe’s Van Gogh to Hayek’s Frida: A Look at Hollywood’s Attempt to Make Art about Artists
December 14, 2018 23:55 - 55 minutes - 51.5 MBHow right, but mostly how wrong, does Hollywood get it when it comes to capturing artists in film? Margaret Wappler asks these very questions of her esteemed panel. And this, the panel is comprised of LA Times staff writer Carolina Miranda, who covers visual arts, culture and architecture, media scholar and TV critic Sarah Kessler--filling in for her under-the-weather wife Karen Tongson--and Cal Arts professor and visual artist David P Earle, who is better known to Pop Rocket listeners as fa...
Pop Rocket Ep. 203 Bravo’s Dirty John & Our True Crime Obsession w/ Sarah Kessler
December 08, 2018 00:54 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBGuests: Karen Tongson Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh Sarah Kessler We're getting down into the down and dirty story Dirty John, the new Bravo show based on the LA Times and Wondery podcast of the same name. Joining us in the discussion this week is media scholar and TV critic Sarah Kessler who happens to also be married to our very own Karen Tongson. Dirty John is the true crime story about Debra Newell, a successful Orange County businesswoman who seemed to have everything go...
Pop Rocket Ep. 202 Holiday Horror w/ Ricky Carmona
November 30, 2018 23:44 - 1 hour - 56 MBIt's well known in the Rocketeer community that our host this week, Wynter Mitchell-Ragnarok, is a huge horror buff. She watches two to three a week, and she is running out of horror flicks to watch on all the streaming services. Send her your recommendations! In the meantime, Wynter forced Karen, Margaret and Who Shot Ya?’s Ricky Carmona to subject themselves to some of her favorite movies from the holiday genre, such as Black Christmas, Silent Night, Deadly Night, and their sequels. Our ...
Pop Rocket Ep. 201 Our Awkward Thanksgiving Show
November 22, 2018 01:16 - 53 minutes - 49.7 MBHappy Thanksgiving, Rocketeers! We at Pop Rocket are thankful for you, our listeners. For the purposes of this episode, Wynter will be playing the role of Margaret’s sister who always criticizes her stuffing recipe, while Karen is the gay aunt who sold Wappler a bunk Subaru. There was a lot of tension in the studio, and everyone was walking on eggshells. Will our panelists be able to make it through a discussion of awkward family gatherings without bursting into tears? Will Wynter be trigg...
Pop Rocket Ep. 200 Our 200th Episode!
November 17, 2018 01:18 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBThis week Pop Rocket celebrates its 200th episode!!! To commemorate this auspicious occasion, Karen, Margaret and Wynter take a look at how each of them has evolved from the quaint, carefree days of 2015 to the unrelenting hellscape that is 2018. Remember the blue dress? Sorry, remember the white dress? They'll reminisce about that fun moment in pop culture, talk Taylor Swift then and now, and how much things have changed in terms of trans visibility from back in 2015 when Caitlyn Jenner sat...
Pop Rocket Ep. 199 Hip Hop, Pop, and Mental Health w/ Clarkisha Kent
November 10, 2018 01:15 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBKanye West’s rambling, pro-Trump speech on SNL late September may have surprised casual observers, but by that point, his fans had heard both his outrageous statements and his frank talk about mental health for months. Charlagmane tha God lamented his canceled TimesTalk with Kanye on Instagram as a missed opportunity, writing, "Normalizing being mentally healthy is a conversation that I really wanted to have with Kanye because he's been so vocal about his own mental health struggles. Unfortu...
Pop Rocket Ep. 198 The Very First Pop Rocket Seal of Approval
November 02, 2018 22:10 - 1 hour - 59.2 MBThe Pop Rocket Seal of Approval Before registered parliamentarian Guy Branum takes an extended leave for some much-needed relaxation at home and abroad, the panelists came together to consider, once again, whether they would be able to award the first-ever Pop Rocket Seal of Approval. Without an acting Nominating Committee Head to sift through listener suggestions on Facebook and Twitter, this time the panel decided to consider the names of only the most committed Pop Rocket listeners--t...
Pop Rocket Ep. 197 Halloween & the Horror We Love
October 27, 2018 00:17 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MB**Note: Next week the panel will cast their votes to award--or not--The Pop Rocket Seal of Approval. You still have an opportunity to influence the panelists. If you want your voice to be heard, literally, call the Pop Rocket hotline and make a case for the person you want to win, and why. Call: (530) 237-4108** Jamie Lee Curtis is smashing box office records, and the Pop Rocket panel APPROVES. In this episode, Guy, Wynter, Karen, and Margaret share their favorite scares, from new shows li...
Pop Rocket Ep. 196 Bad Times at the El Royale w/Drea Clark
October 19, 2018 21:51 - 50 minutes - 46.8 MBIt’s 1969. Four guests check into the El Royale Hotel: a priest (Jeff Bridges), a vacuum salesman (Jon Hamm), a singer (Cynthia Erivo), and a hippie (Dakota Johnson). They all - save one - have something mysterious going on behind the scenes and the hotel itself is not what it appears to be. When they check in, there’s a storm a-brewin'. Join Guy, Karen, Margaret, and producer/film festival programmer/Who Shot Ya contributor and now Pop Rocket guest Drea Clark as they pick apart Drew Godda...
Pop Rocket Ep. 195 A Star is Born
October 12, 2018 20:29 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBThis week gay America received so much, but in particular, A Star is Born starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who also directed the movie. Guy, Wynter, Karen & Margaret--aka the full panel--got a chance to watch, cry, and be torn apart by the story of a lady who gained the world, but lost the man that she loves. On this episode, we go over the history of this film and all the remakes, share predictions on whether The Academy will hand out statues to Lady Gaga and/or Bradley Cooper, or i...
Pop Rocket Ep. 194 We Hate the 80s and Brett Kavanaugh Edition w/Ted Alexandro
October 05, 2018 22:48 - 1 hour - 55.5 MB***Trigger Warning - This episode contains discussion of sexual assault. You may want to sit this one out if hearing this kind of discussion is likely to do more harm than good.*** Current events have us (and many others) reconsidering the way high school and college relationships were depicted in the '80s, particularly in romcoms and raunchy sex comedies. Margaret Wappler hosts our discussion this week with Karen Tongson, Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh, and our guest, actor, and comedian Ted A...
Pop Rocket Ep. 193 Our TV Shows You Should Binge-Watch Right Now Episode
September 28, 2018 22:00 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBThe autumn TV season has officially begun, and let's be honest, there is TOO MUCH stuff to watch out there. If you're feeling overwhelmed, fear not. The Pop Rocket panel has lots of binge-worthy shows to recommend, and a couple new shows they think you should skip. One panelist will tell you why they loved Netflix's Maniac, and another who couldn't make it through the season. If you're curious whether Amazon Prime's The First is worth your time, Tongson's got some opinions. They'll cover B...
Pop Rocket Ep. 192 The Pop Rocket Seal of Approval - Is It Rachel’s Time to Bloom? Plus Destination Wedding
September 21, 2018 22:44 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBWe’ve got another full panel! This week, Guy, Wynter, Margaret, and Karen tackle the ornery romcom Destination Wedding, starring Gen X darlings Winona and Keanu. Does their star-power shine bright enough to carry an entire film wherein they’re the only two people with dialogue? Has Hollywood discovered how to effectively harness their charm and charisma? You’ll find out as the panel weighs in on these questions and more. The Pop Rocket Seal of Approval The full quorum convened to vote on...
Pop Rocket Ep. 191 2018 Summer Jams
September 14, 2018 21:59 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBBetween the VMA's and Yom Kippur, we've got our own version of the high holidays here at Pop Rocket: The SUMMER JAMS episode! We will anoint OR NOT anoint the title of Song of the Summer to the most banging artist of the past few months. And yes, the band is back together again. The full panel - Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, Wynter Mitchell (don't forget) Rohrbaugh, and Margaret Wappler - put on their Grammy judge hats and measure up the best cuts from music makers this past season. What crit...
Pop Rocket Ep. 190 Our Pumpkin-Spiced Fall Preview
September 07, 2018 20:06 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MBIt’s time, once again, to start deleting programs from our DVRs to make room for new ones. It's almost fall, y'all, which means award shows and the arrival of new network comedies, dramas, dramedies, and what have you. Sooooo Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, and Wynter Mitchell let us in on all the films and TV shows they're most excited about this upcoming season. Rocketeers, this here preview is the closest most of us will get to an actual harvest. The guys pick over the latest crop of enterta...
Pop Rocket Ep. 189 HBO's Insecure Season 3 w/ LA Times Film Reporter Tre'vell Anderson
August 31, 2018 20:38 - 1 hour - 61.9 MBHop on the PARTY LYFT as we jam out for the long-awaited return of our favorite newlywed Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh. She joins Karen Tongsen and frequent favorite Pop Rocket guest LA Times Film Reporter Tre'vell Anderson as they get into their thoughts on season 3 of HBO's Insecure. The crew touches on the careers of the leading ladies- specifically white privilege problems at Issa's nonprofit We Got Y'all, Issa's side gig as a Lyft driver, and Molly's experiences at her new black corporate...
Ep. 188 Crazy Rich Asians (The Movie) with Alonso Duralde & Andrew Ti
August 24, 2018 19:32 - 57 minutes - 53.2 MBWe did the book, now we're doing the movie! Goddess Guy Branum and dyke-about-town Karen Tongson are joined by fellow MaxFun host Alonso Duralde of the movie podcast Who Shot Ya? and returning favorite Andrew Ti, host of the podcast Yo, Is This Racist? to talk Crazy Rich Asians. Listen in to find out who the gang thought had the breakout performances? Did the food porn in the book match up with the food porn on screen? Who would be the leading man in the sequel? Was the movie "Asian enough...
Ep. 187 Summer Book Club: Crazy Rich Asians
August 17, 2018 17:34 - 55 minutes - 51.3 MBGoddess Guy Branum returns from his book tour just in time for Pop Rocket's annual Summer Book Club. He joins Karen Tongson and Margaret Wappler to finally dig into Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians book trilogy. By the way, the movie Crazy Rich Asians is out in theaters now. Go watch it! Kwan's trilogy is essentially about the crazy rich people of Singapore, but the main story in the first book Crazy Rich Asians centers around Rachel and Nick-a young couple who've been dating for two years. ...
Ep. 186 Joyful Pop Culture w/ Matt Bellassai and Bari Finkel
August 10, 2018 20:12 - 1 hour - 62.9 MBThis week, Karen Tongson and Margaret Wappler get happy with Matt Bellassai and Bari Finkel, the host and producer of Pineapple Street Media's Unhappy Hour podcast. Today's show is like a Snuggie for one's soul. The panel dishes on the pop culture that brings us pure joy, from songs that compel us to dance, to the spots we gravitate toward on the Internet when we need a dose of adorable. Go ahead, try not to smile when you listen to this episode. All Abouts Margaret is all about the Vult...
Pop Rocket Ep. 185: “Eighth Grade” and Awkward Adolescence w/ NPR's Linda Holmes
August 03, 2018 22:43 - 1 hour - 59.5 MB***Warning - this episode contains spoilers*** This week, Karen Tongson and Margaret Wappler chat it up with pop culture maven and Pop Rocket's own podcast godmother Linda Holmes, the host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour. The ladies revisit that wonderfully awkward time of their lives of Clearasil and body self-consciousness also known as 8th Grade while doing an in-depth exploration of Bo Burnham's debut film Eighth Grade. The movie centers around this socially awkward teen girl who tries...
Pop Rocket Ep. 184: "Who is America?" w/ "UnReal" Creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro
July 27, 2018 19:24 - 1 hour - 77.6 MBWe've got a SUPERSIZED Pop Rocket for our first-ever Friday release, so strap yourselves in! This week, Guy Branum, Karen Tongson, and Margaret Wappler are joined by TV powerhouse Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, co-creator and executive producer of the Lifetime drama Unreal. The crew discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's new Showtime series Who Is America. Not unlike his previous series, Da Ali G Show, which aired on HBO in the early aughts, Cohen continues ...
Ep. 183: "Sorry to Bother You" w/ Kevin Avery
July 18, 2018 19:52 - 55 minutes - 51.4 MB***Warning - this episode contains major spoilers*** This week, Guy Branum and Margaret Wappler are joined by Bay Area comedian and two-time Emmy winning writer Kevin Avery. He was head writer on Totally Biased w/ Kamau Bell, staff writer on Last Week Tonight w/ John Oliver and writer on The Jim Jeffries Show. The gang is deep diving into Boots Riley's new movie Sorry to Bother You. Guy, Kevin and Margaret discover that, like Sorry to Bother You's Cassius Green, they all worked as telemark...
Ep. 182: HBO's Sharp Objects and the Wappler Test
July 11, 2018 18:18 - 56 minutes - 77.6 MBThis week, Guy Branum, Margaret Wappler and Karen Tongson discuss HBO’s Sharp Objects. It’s based on the Gillian Flynn Novel of the same name and is about a woman, Camille Preaker, played by Amy Adams, who returns to her childhood home to combat her personal demons and look into a number of unsolved murders. Margaret is all about Won't You Be My Neighbor?, the Fred Rogers biopic that’s guaranteed to conjure up feelings of love and kindness even in this divisive time. Karen is all about the...
Ep. 181 Unplugged: Declaring Independence from Glowing Screens
July 03, 2018 22:36 - 57 minutes - 78.6 MBThis week, Guy Branum, Margaret Wappler and Karen Tongson are declaring their independence from screens, push notifications and batteries. That’s right, it’s all about the pop culture that you’ll still be able to experience after the grid goes down. Margaret is all about The Moment app which displays just how much time you spend on your phone every day, which she hopes will help keep her phone out of her motherhood. Karen is all about LeBron James being signed to the LA Lakers and everyon...
Ep. 180: Dietland is Unapologetically Fat w/ Lindy West
June 27, 2018 21:28 - 1 hour - 85.9 MBThis week, Guy Branun, Margaret Wappler and Karen Tongson are joined by Lindy West, New York Times opinion writer and bestselling author of the book Shrill to discuss the AMC show Dietlandand one of TV’s best fat characters ever: Plum Kettle. Lindy is all about is all about the UK show Grand Designs, which offers a respite of pleasantness in the current world of television. Margaret is all about Michelle Goldberg's NYT op-ed We Have a Crisis of Democracy, Not Manners, which takes a look...
Ep. 179: What's in YOUR (pop culture) Bubble? w/ Jordan Morris and Sudi Green
June 20, 2018 20:41 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBThis week, Guy Branun and Karen Tongson are joined by Jordan Morris, writer of the new Maximum Fun scripted series Bubble, and Sudi Green, former Totally Biased w/ Kumau Bellproduction assistant, current model and current writer for Saturday Night Live. In honor of Bubblethe team will discuss which shows and films help create their safe bubble from the rest of the scary world. Jordan is all about is all about Hearts Beat Loud, a summer film that offers the perfect respite from the deluge o...
Ep. 179: Strike a Pose with Las Culturistas
June 13, 2018 18:44 - 1 hour - 86.4 MBThis week, Guy Branum, Margaret Wappler and Karen Tongson are joined by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, the hosts of the Las Culturistas podcast. The gang will discuss the show Pose which focusses on the Ball culture of 1980’s New York. Bowen is all about everything going down at E3, especially the long-awaited crossover madness that is Kingdom Hearts III. Margaret is all about Ocean's 8, a film that may be full of missed opportunities, but also has enough iconic moments to make it worth the w...
Pop Rocket Ep. 178: We Say Goodbye to The Americans
June 06, 2018 20:13 - 58 minutes - 80.6 MB**Warning: This episode contains spoilers from The Americans series finale. If you, like Margaret, want to avoid the spoilers, skip from 7:01 to 14:20.** This week, Margaret Wappler and Karen Tongson are joined by Alonso Duralde, one of the hosts of the Max Fun podcast Who Shot Ya?, a movie podcast that isn’t hosted by dude-bros. The gang will discuss the finale of FX Series The Americans and the effect of the Cold War on pop culture. Alonso is all about is all about National Drive-In D...
Ep. 177: The Passport Edition
May 30, 2018 19:25 - 59 minutes - 82.3 MBThis week, Guy Branum, Margaret Wappler and Karen Tongson are joined by Katherine Spiers, host of the podcast Smart Mouth, which asks people about their favorite foods. The gang will discuss international travel and all the best things that come from it, including people, food and pop culture. Katherine is all about the actress Jameela Jamil, who criticized Kim Kardashian for advertising appetite suppressing lolly-pops, in spite of the wrath that Jamil may incur. Margaret is all about the...