Havana OOO NA NA
Homecoming, Havana, & Harley + Just Added, weekly, and more!
Hey Poddy People,
I’m going to make this a snappy email. Quick and easy. Based on click-through data, I’ll be moving stuff around.
In this week’s newsletter:
4 recommendations
**New slot: Just Added This Week - 12
Weekly Top 5
Entertainment News including the Ambies
Around the
The Ambies (The Awards For Excellence In Audio) nominations were announced this past week. Check out all the nominees here. As mentioned last week, Larry Wilmore (Black on the Air) will be hosting the show in March.
Talkshow host, Kelly Ripa, is starting a podcast. Read more here.
A new subgenre of True Crime is being created. Hate Crime. USG Audio announcing a new podcast called, You Didn’t See Nothin. Read more here.
Already out is Immigrantly’s Saadia Khan’s new podcast, Invisible Hate.
The podcast production company, Novel (Super Hero Complex), received funding not only to expand its podcast portfolio but to work on the podcast to tv/movie pipeline. Read more here.
Louis Theroux is leaving BBC Sounds for an exclusive Spotify podcast. I guess he hasn’t posted a new episode of Grounded since 2021. Read more here.
TuneIn (my former employer for 7 years-ish) signed a partnership with Audible, where you get to listen to Audible podcast originals on the platform. I do think this is welcomed for those exclusive podcasts that now have another platform. Maybe Michelle Obama’s new Audible podcast? Read more here.
Just Added This Week
The data shows y’all like to click on the Just Added link so it’s being moved up.
Playing Anne Frank
Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature
The War on Drugs
There Are No Greater Heroes
The Zoe Ball Podcast
The Director's Cut - A DGA Podcast
Buried
The Tom Grennan Phone In
It's Giving Fashion with Shea Coulee
Everything Everywhere Daily
Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air
Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?
On to my picks this week…
Trying to keep my opinion/comments shorter and with more emphasis on the review critique. If that’s better leave a comment.
Podcast: Homecoming
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Gimlet
About: Homecoming centers on a caseworker at an experimental facility, her ambitious supervisor, and a soldier eager to rejoin civilian life — presented in an enigmatic collage of telephone calls, therapy sessions, and overheard conversations. Starring Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, David Schwimmer, David Cross, Amy Sedaris, Michael Cera, Mercedes Ruehl, Alia Shawkat, Chris Gethard, and Spike Jonze.
Star-freaking-studded. When adding Case 63, some reviews kept mentioning Homecoming being similar. I listened to the first season and the only comparison is Oscar Isaac and the case worker recording style of audio. Both podcasts are different from each other. David Shwimmer’s character is just as annoying as you think. Well done.
Jude Dry • IndieWire
“Homecoming” keeps the listener on high alert — ears perked and heart racing. As the plot unravels and the players’ true motivations come into focus, there are well-earned gasps, but the story does not stray too far from the realm of the believable."
Side Note: Homecoming has been adapted to an Amazon Prime TV show with Julia Roberts. Have you seen the Prime show? Is it worth it? Comment below.
Podcast: The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome
Genre: Investigative
Publisher: Project Brazen, PRX
About: In December 2016, a US official in Havana went to the embassy medical centre to report a debilitating and confounding illness. The symptoms included headaches; nausea; hearing loss; problems with memory and vision – and its onset was characterized by hearing… something. A buzzing, hissing, grinding… sound. Soon, a second official came down with the same symptoms. In this deep dive investigation, journalist Nicky Woolf peels back the layers of one of the most bizarre mysteries of the modern age. You’ll hear about how the US agencies failed to agree even on the basic premises. THE SOUND is a story about spycraft, technology, and the brain. It’s a story where, at every turn, you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s an illusion. It’s a story about how the Cold War, maybe, never really ended.
A twofer here. As mentioned last week, two podcasts, on the same subject are being released around the same time. The critic reviews all agree that Nicky’s storytelling is well-written and I agree as well.
James Marriot • The Times UK • Jan 27, 2023
“...it is a beautifully written show, full of cliffhangers, deep research and interesting sources.”
Podcast: Havana Syndrome
Genre: Investigative
Publisher: Vice
About: In 2016, a mysterious, debilitating illness begins to afflict American diplomats and spies working abroad – first in Cuba, and then around the world. Victims report crippling neurological symptoms. Award-winning journalists Jon Lee Anderson and Adam Entous take listeners to the heart of this saga in HAVANA SYNDROME, a new podcast from VICE World News.
VICE’s version has two reporters. Adam the hungry spy-interest journalist, Jon with the experience and connections to Cuba. Another agreeable description from review critics.
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian
"...it’s more traditional, well funded and serious-minded. Their approach is more political-gumshoe-cum-high-end-foreign-correspondent. So, less frivolity. They talk to actual spies, as opposed to everyday workers."
I cannot not make an I Love Lucy reference…
Podcast: Harley Quinn and the Joker: Sound Mind
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Spotify, Realm, DC
About: We’ve heard Harley Quinn’s origin story -- the one where she was manipulated into being The Joker’s doting, mad lover. But what if there’s more to it? What if there’s a Gotham City where Harley let The Joker believe she loved him, to get what she needed? When we meet Dr. Harleen Quinzel, she’s fresh out of grad school, a new psychologist at Arkham Asylum, determined to help the patients her colleagues have written off. Harleen makes a fateful decision: to use her relationship with The Joker to get what she wants, leading both of them down a dangerous path that will change them, Bruce Wayne, and Gotham City forever. Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind is created by Eli Horowitz and stars Christina Ricci, Billy Magnussen, and Justin Hartley.
Christina Ricci is a star in this role. Great voice-acting. What surprised me was Amy Sedaris! She was in Homecoming and Harley Quinn. She’s great. Don’t tell anyone, personally, this was better than Batman: Unburied.
Brian Jones • Pop Culture
"Ricci is compassionate but also aggressive, which are notable traits of Quinzel/Quinn...the series moves fast and never has a dull moment. And with the way Harley Quinn and the Joker: Sound Mind ends, it's a series that could continue for a few more seasons and will not disappoint."
Weekly Top 5 (Jan. 23-29, 2023):
Stay safe, treat people with kindness, and have a glass of water.
Listening with you,
Captain Ron
Great Pods is your best friend in podcast discovery. Get immersed in engaging critic reviews and ratings to make finding your next podcast fun. Tell a friend!