☀️Sunny Day Sweepin' the clouds away☀️
+Dr. Suess and That's Hollywood! & Top 5, Just Added!
Hey Poddy People!
Happy 3rd Great Pods Anniversary month! I’ve been without a car in LA for 3-4 months now.
That’s a no-no out here. Thankfully, with a lot of end-of-year deals, I picked up an Electric Vehicle! Now that I’m learning about the car and charging, it’s actually quite exciting! You might see an EV podcast dropped in here once in a while. Heck, if you have one to recommend, drop it in the comments. Meanwhile, I’ll be plugging into these three for now:
Everybody In The Pool - Molly Wood
Mel’s Electric Adventure - Tortoise Media
The Big Switch - Dr. Melissa Lott
There are a chunk of episodes on coal, California, and cars
Let’s GO!!!
The Round-Up
Strike Force Five (Three) with Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert was supposed to do a live show in Vegas this weekend, but Jimmy Kimmel came down with Covid. They are looking into rescheduling. Read more here.
This Is Important! podcast with the Workaholics comedy-acting team is touring nationwide. Check dates here.
Snap Judgement: Spooked, a Halloween favorite of mine will be live in LA in October, obviously. Information here.
Have you started listening to The Immortals yet? Recommended two weeks ago.
Time Magazine’s Charlotte Alter has a rather lengthy write-up this week on the subject in DETAIL. Read it here.
The Guardian wrote on the plasma transfusions as well. Read that here.
Bloomberg’s Ashley Carmen broke the news that Sony Music(Cover Up, High Low with EmRata, Smoke Screen) is laying off quite a bit of their podcast division. That’s sad because they were doing really great work. Read that here.
Collaborating with KASA Media, not to be confused with the currently embroiled KAST Media, is hosting two meetups:
San Diego - October 4th - Eventbrite here.
Los Angeles - October 5th - Eventbrite here.
This one will be held at the Vaudeville Studios with a Dolby Atmos-equipped car for demos!
Speaking of KAST Media drama, The Sarah Silverman podcast, is the latest podcaster/star to leave. The podcast is now with Lemonada and the new season comes out in October. Good for that team!
There are more Coming Soon podcasts coming through my inbox. Be sure to look for the homepage of the site this weekend for those pods.
Worth mentioning was the announcement of the new season of Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord - Season 1 was on the weekly charts for a bit.
A couple of weeks ago was Star Trek Day, so hence why you’ll see a few Star Trek pods in the Just Added. I was in a mood.
On to my picks this week…
Podcast: The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Genre: Society
Publisher: Pushkin
About: You might think you know what it takes to lead a happier life… more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations. You’re dead wrong. Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale -- the most popular class in the university’s 300-year history -- Laurie will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will change the way you think about happiness.
Today’s letter is G, for Gratitude. This edition of Happiness Lab that I’m recommending are the following three episodes of the series where she interviews and enlists help from Sesame Street’s Abby.
We learn practical ways to recognize and feel gratitude. University of North Carolina psychologist Sara Algoe studies gratitude through research and developed the Find, Remind, and Bind theory. Notice what others have done for you, so it prompts you to appreciate that people do care. Then binding us and kindness is reciprocated. Good for you and the kids.
Alexi Duggins • The Guardian
“The expert advice on how to become closer to those around you by being more grateful is such a galvanising message that there’s no way it applies only to children, despite the involvement of furry puppets. We defy you to listen and not end up blurting out some statement of love to your cherished ones.”
Side Note: Some of you will hear from me.
Podcast: The Cat In The Hat Cast
Genre: Kids & Family, Fiction
Publisher: Wondery
About: Hold on tight and prepare to be whisked away on a weekly adventure with Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat! In a world full of delightful mix-ups and exhilarating mayhem, the mischievous Cat takes the reins and enlightens the ever-cautious Fish on the art of hosting a perfectly poised podcast. Featuring alphabet song sing-a-longs, tremendous tongue-twisters, and wondrous wordplay, you'll be left guessing what surprises The Cat will pull out of his hat next.
Oh boy. This is a mile-a-minute podcast. It’s peppy, exciting, and fun. There’s a “shushing” lady that was pulled out of the hat. Thank god she was put back into the hat. Poor Mr. Krinklebine, he just wants to make his own podcast in peace.
Lauri Anderson • Common Sense Media
“...its joyous mayhem celebrates Dr. Seuss' legacy with pizzazz, and is undeniably entertaining....fast-moving humor, relentless wordplay, thorough audio experience, and full theatrical commitment by its voice actors.”
Podcast: Deadline Strike Talk
Genre: Business, Society
Publisher: Deadline Hollywood
About: This podcast takes you behind the scenes of the current Hollywood strike. Now, in 2023, history is repeating itself and Hollywood is once again in the midst of a major labor dispute. Join Billy Ray, Academy Award nominated writer/ director/ showrunner, and Todd Garner, a former studio executive turned producer, as they explore the causes and consequences of the strike. Throughout the strike, Billy and Todd will be bringing you stories and insights from behind the picket lines, uncovering the struggles and experiences of those involved in this pivotal moment in Hollywood history.
Living in LA, I have been asked about the strikes several times, but I am not directly involved. However, this podcast gives you some pretty good opinions and viewpoints. I started with the Craig Mazin (The Last Of Us, Chernobyl, Scriptnotes), Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix universe), and Jason Blum (Blumhouse Productions) episode.
The beginning of the episode is a 5-minute+ analogy about the guests and the topic at hand. You can probably skip it starting at the 5-minute marker. For example, the Craig Mazin episode has the intro to building jumbo jets, like how these producers and directors build jumbo jet entertainment and are able to ship them.
The meat of the episodes is great. Direct questions and potential scenarios are asked of the guests with prompt contextual answers. Of course, we hear about AI, but it’s mostly about pay and residuals.
One surprising note that I learned and looked up to verify is that MGM started the Oscars. Why? Answer:
“In 1927, MGM executive Louis B. Mayer was just trying to find a way to keep actors from unionizing.”
It’s your modern-day serve-your-employees-pizza-at-work without the raise and healthcare.
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter
“was unprepared to hear how bleak things are for not just the people striking, but for the TV and film industry, and all of us who enjoy movies and TV shows.”
Also listen: I saw a couple of episodes on picketing within Craig’s Scriptnotes podcast.
Just Added This Week…
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos (Sesame Street - Episodes)
Hooked on Freddie - Wondery
Adventures in Nutopia - David Bramwell
The Sarah Silverman Podcast - Lemonada
Trash Tuesday w/ Annie, & Esther, & Khalyla -7EQUIS, Annie Lederman, Esther Povitsky, Khalyla Kuhn
The Estate - Audacy, Sonoro, Tenderfoot TV
Stretch Marks - Sinead O'Moore
Small Town Dicks - Paperclip Ltd.
Daily Star Trek News - T. Rick Jones
Engage: The Official Star Trek Podcast - Audacy
The Greatest Generation - Adam Pranica and Benjamin Harrison
Musical Time Machine - GoKidGo: Great Stories for Kids
Baby, This is Keke Palmer - Amazon
Exposed - Wondery
Did I miss a professional review to be added? Submit it here.
Did you want to add YOUR podcast to the database, especially for a new podcast or new season? Submit it here.
MVP (Most Viewed Podcasts) Sept. 11 - Sept.17:
5. Scamanda (Lionsgate Sound)
4. The Diary of a CEO (Steven Bartlett)
3. Case 63 (Spotify) - A surprising return
2. Strike Force Five (Strike Force Five)
1. From The Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast (Audible UK) - I did not see this coming even in the last two weeks, gradually rising.
Stay safe, drink water, and remember, you’re doing great!
Listening with you,
Captain Ron
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