Podcastpalooza Part 2

Let's jump right in to round two. There's no categories this time around, just more awesome podcasts.

WDW Today iTunes
Matt, Mike, Len, and Mike are marathon podcasters. Not only do they put out three 20 minute episodes a week but Mike Scopa and Len Testa are actual real marathon runners. WDW Today is a podcast that covers everything you need to know about Walt Disney World. The focus is more on giving advice for vacationers vs. commenting on rumors or news. The information is tremendous and the podcast is very entertaining with Len, in particular, being very funny and quick witted.

The Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish with Jim Hill iTunes
Len Testa from the WDW Today podcast has started putting out this show with Jim Hill. Each episode, the gentlemen pick a destination at Walt Disney World (a park or group of resorts) and record themselves as they take a leisurely stroll. Jim Hill is one of the most connected people to the history and inner workings of Walt Disney World. He is a fountain of Disney knowledge. If you want to know why certain decisions were made at the World then this is your podcast. I should warn you though, some of the meaty dishes they serve up will leave you distraught at what could have been over the years. Disney has shelved some amazing ideas, almost always for the wrong reason, money.

Mike and Tom Eat Snacks iTunes
Michael Ian Black, probably best known as a commentator on VH1's myriad of pop shows like I Love the 80s, is one half of this hilarious snack-commenting duo. The other half, Tom Cavanagh, is best known as the lead actor on the TV show Ed. The set-up for the podcast is that each week, they pick a snack, rate it, and comment on it. Oh, but it is so much more than a simple food rating show. The guys are best friends and if they talk about the actual snack for longer than five minutes, it is a rare event. They are improv actors so if subject comes up, no matter how wacky, they'll just run with it until they completely exhaust it. You will be laughing nonstop as you listen and you might learn a thing or two about Fritos.

The Tobolowsky Files iTunes
Stephen Tobolowsky is an amazing story teller. You probably best know him as Ned Ryerson from the movie Groundhog Day. (Bing! Watch out for that first step, it's a doozy). Tobolowsky has been a character actor in Hollywood for a very long time but his stories of acting are just the tip of iceberg. This man has lived and his ability to tell stories is one of the most amazing gifts I've ever listened to. He puts you right there and the emotion he conveys is staggering. This is a can't miss podcast.

Those are the main ones I wanted to talk about but I do want to mention a couple of quick ones.

Fuzzy Typewriter iTunes
Paul Montgomery is one of the main writers on the iFanboy site. He runs this personal podcast where he covers whatever fancies him. He also runs a book club through the podcast.

Creative Screenwriting Magazine Podcastalley
Jeff Goldsmith ran this podcast for years. It has since ended but the backload is still on the internet to explore. Jeff hosted movie screenings and would then have a Q&A with the writers of the film afterwords. This is a great podcast for writers, movie aficionados, or anyone that wants a peek behind the curtain of Hollywood.

The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith iTunes
This is the podcast Jeff moved to after he left the Screenwriting Magazine. He continues with his great interviews and it's still going strong.

How Did This Get Made? iTunes
A few stand-up comedians, some of them recognizable from the VH1 shows, put out this podcast. They pick a generally agreed upon, awful movie and ask the question, How did this pile of trash get made? Who made these decisions? Who put Richard Prior in Superman 3? These are valid questions that need answering.

Weekend Confirmed iTunes
This is a great video game podcast that covers a lot of the same ground as the GiantBomb guys. Jeff Cannata (the best thing about the TotallyRadShow) is a co-host so follow this podcast just for him alone.

There you go. That's what I listen to. I told you it's almost like having a second job. A second job while I'm working my main job. But, I do love them. I hope you will too.

Part 1

Podcasts I Love

It didn't come into focus until I decided to write this post but podcasts make up a significant portion of my entertainment menagerie. I listen or watch at least one podcast every day and in the time I dedicate to some of my favorite shows, I could easily watch a movie or read 100-150 pages of a book.

Shows have gotten me through countless hours of my day job. If I know I'm going to be stuck at the computer for the next 2 hours, out comes the ipod and it's like I'm not even working—I'm just hanging out with a few of my faceless friends yapping in my earbuds.

I want to highlight some of my favorite podcasts. The podcasts are informative, geeky, hilarious, or just plain stupid. If you are new to podcasts, I hope I can open you up to a whole new world of entertainment. If you are an old pro, maybe there are a few new gems in here for you. If you like all the same ones I like,  I will validate that your taste is as finely tuned and correct as mine.

On media (movies, comic books, video games)

The Totally Rad Show iTunes
TRS covers all the main fields of geek entertainment. It's a video show that comes out five times a week. Each episode runs about fifteen minutes. The three hosts: Jeff, Alex, and Dan highlight a movie, video game, or other rad thing each day and give their honest impressions. The production values are pretty stellar with cool graphics and interstitials. They just had their five year anniversary and I've been with them every step of the way. Jeff and Alex have improv backgrounds so the laughs come frequently while Dan is an emerging movie director and his insights into film are top notch. I respect their reviews and point-of-views. Their show is one of the highlights of my day.

Giant Bombcast iTunes
I used to follow many video game podcasts. I spent countless hours listening to different people on different shows say pretty much the same thing about the same games. It got kind of ridiculous how much of my time was spent listening about games I'd probably never play. I still listen to talk about games I'll probably never play but now it's just one group of people. It's the best group, though. Anchored by video game journalist superstar, Jeff Gerstmann, the Giant Bombcast is the one podcast I listen to above all others. Jeff, Ryan, Brad, Vinny, and Patrick make up the best video game commentators in the business. All my video game knowledge comes from them. All my energy drink and dubstep information comes from them too. Their conversations can get hilariously derailed at any time but they always come back to the games. This is the best video game podcast from the guys behind Giant Bomb, one of Time magazine's top 50 websites of 2011.

iFanboy iTunes
The guys at iFanboy put out two shows. Their video show used to come out once a week but it now doesn't come out very often. Still, there is a big backload of videos with lots of cool information about the world of comics—very much worth checking out. The pick of the week podcast is my mainstay. Each week one of the three guys behind the site picks their favorite book that came out that week. They spend about ten minutes talking about the book and then do quick hits on another ten or so books before answering questions from their listeners. I've tried many books on their recommendation and since I don't have the budget to follow every comic out there, this is a great way for me to know what's happening in books that I can't pick up.

More on media (books and music)


iTunes Weekly Rewind and Celebrity Playlist Podcast iTunes for Celebrity Playlist
Sadly, both of these podcasts are now done. However, there are literally years of backlog to go through and if you have any interest in music, I highly recommend you at least check out the iTunes Weekly Rewind. The Rewind came out for years and they used the highlights of that week in music as a springboard into bigger conversations about artists. These guys know their stuff. There is such a grand world of music out there and I learned so much about artists from the 50s all the way up to the most recent obscure indie acts.

The Celebrity Playlist is just what it sounds like. You can cherry pick which shows interest you. You may not care what Snooki has to recommend but when someone like Neil Diamond recommends music, you listen.

Update—It seems that iTunes has pulled the archive of the Weekly Rewind. I can't discover why the show was cancelled in the first place and now with the archive being gone, the mystery deepens. The show descriptions are still up and worth going through and they list the great music featured in each episode. Show List

The Bookrageous Podcast iTunes
The guys and girls on this podcast are all booksellers and bloggers. Each show starts with them talking about what they are currently reading. They read tons. Most of them are juggling 2-4 books at a time so you get a lot of content. They tend to focus on mainstream new release literature but they branch out plenty. Each show has a theme that prompts them to talk about more than just what they are reading. They are passionate about books and my personal 'to read' list has grown exponentially since I started listening.

I'm going to break this into two posts since this is the end of my media podcasts. My next post will cover podcasts about Disney, screenwriting, snacks, and more. I'll have it up soon so please come back.

Part 2

My Top 5 Video Games of 2009/2010

It takes me a long time to get around to playing video games. I seem to average around 6 months to a year after they originally release before I get my hands on them. Because of this, I played a lot of the best games of 2009 in 2010.

I also didn't play a ton of games in 2010. The reason will become clear when you get to my #1 game. On to the list.

5. Limbo
This came out on Xbox Live Arcade during the summer. It's a very short game but one of the most original and atmospheric games you'll ever come across. The whole game is in shadow and the puzzles are twisted and brutal. It's a left to right side scrolling game but calling it simplistic misses the mark completely. I also should mention that it's creepy as hell.

4. Wii Sports Resort
This is the first game on the Wii that utilizes their motion plus technology. It's a far superior game to the original Wii Sports in every aspect. There are more sports and they're better implemented. I sunk way too much time into frisbee golf. Also, my daughter, Kaylee, figured out how to Wii bowl which makes this daddy proud.

3. Shadow Complex
Another original Xbox Live Arcade title, Shadow Complex shows that there is no limit to what can be done with a downloadable game. It's a cross between Metroid and Castlevania where you have to do a lot of backtracking once you get more powerful weapons. This is a good thing. It's challenging. The shooting is fun and accurate. And, for a downloadable game, it's artistically quite striking.

2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
I covered this pretty extensively already in an earlier post. The game is cinematic and epic in scale. You feel like you are playing an Indiana Jones movie. I would have never thought another game could have beat this for game of the (two) years.

1. Red Dead Redemption
But, then there's Red Dead Redemption. Remember how I said I didn't play many games in 2010. Blame Red Dead. I sunk like 50 hours into this amazing western game. I hunted animals for hours, killed outlaws, watched the amazing story unfold, and just generally became enraptured by the entire world that was created. The ending shocked me. I still can't believe what they did to one of my favorite characters of all time. I got my revenge though! See what I mean? Such a great game and story that it became personal.

My Top 5 Movies of 2010

The necessary disclaimer first. I considered all movies I personally saw in 2010. With that in mind, some that came out in 2009 snuck into my top 5. Alas, I haven't seen any of the late 2010 contenders for the best picture Oscar. Sorry, True Grit, Black Swan, Social Network etc.

My list is still pretty solid.

5. How to Train Your Dragon
I just saw this with the family. I was blown away by it. I usually don't regret not seeing a movie in 3D but this looks like it would have been amazing on the big screen in 3D. It's a fun, well-written movie that is great for the whole family. Also, it has Craig Ferguson in it doing a major character so that's top 5 material already.

4. 500 Days of Summer
The ending bummed me out a bit but it didn't alter my feelings for the rest of the movie. Jason Gordon Levitt is one of the great young actors. He elevates all of his movies. His acting is tremendous as he goes through love and heart break. Of course, there's also the amazing musical number featuring Huey Lewis's The Power of Love with a winking cameo appearance by Han Solo.

3. Inception
Well, hello there again Mr. Gordon Levitt. While you didn't make Inception the blockbuster it turned out to be you certainly didn't hinder it. No, what sets this movie apart are the mind bending dreams and killer heist sequences. I read everywhere how people wanted to see this movie again right away. For me, once was enough. I got it. It was fantastically twisted and leaped right to the top of my favorite movies.

2. Toy Story 3
The end of this movie emotionally effected me more than any movie I can ever remember seeing. First, the toys are in mortal peril at the trash dump and then, less than twenty minutes later, Andy is faced with what to do now that he's heading off to college. Seriously, that last scene between Andy and the little girl wrecked me. A beautiful, thrilling, and surprisingly emotional movie. Toy Story 3 is a grown man's Beaches.

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The chances are you didn't see this. For whatever reason, Scott Pilgrim was largely ignored by the movie going public. Michael Cera fatigue? Perhaps. Weird, comic booky sequences that were hard to make sense of? I can see that. However, for me and the other loyal fans, this movie is pure bliss. I grew up in the 8-bit video game era and this movie not only speaks to me, it sings a freaking opera. The comedy is pure gold. I always laugh hysterically when Cera launches himself through the window to avoid his ex-girlfriend. The special effects I would put up against anything else that came out this year. And, then there is that soundtrack. My goodness, that amazing, note perfect soundtrack. The music makes this movie for me.

My Top 5 Books of 2010

I didn't exactly set any records in 2010 with the amount of books I read. Books never seemed to make the cut when I had a moment of free time. I'm expecting this to change this year with my new Kindle (thanks, wifey).

So, I didn't read much but I certainly read quality. Here are the top 5 books I read in 2010.

5. What the Dog Saw

Read my previous post, here, to get more in depth coverage of this fascinating book. Malcolm Gladwell is a man with questions. He wants to know why something is the way it is and he usually finds that what at first appears to be luck or coincidence, can be broken down to certain rules and consistencies.

4. Heart-Shaped Box

I already praised this book to death, get it, death. Ha ha...ahem. It's clever. It's very well written. But, most importantly, it's spooky and creepy as anything I've ever read. I never thought a book could really really freak me out. I was wrong.

3. The Monster of Florence

A true crime story about a forgotten serial killer that turns into real world drama as the authors get caught up in the corrupt Italian justice system. Anybody that is following the Amanda Knox trial in Italy may recognize the lead prosecutor trying to put her away. It's the same bully who questioned Preston and forced him out of the country.

2. Under the Dome

I haven't read a ton of Stephen King but the few I've read over the years have been pretty great. Under the Dome is one behemoth of a book but it's worth the time. The dome is like the Island in Lost. Sure, you want to know why it's there and the mysteries behind it but you keep reading because of the people trapped underneath. Yes, there is the over-the-top, evil used car salesman/councilman but the clichés really didn't bother me. Incredible awful things happen to the people in the town but there are also some pretty rewarding payoffs throughout.

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Yes, I'm a sheep. Baaah. I've joined the millions and millions of readers throughout the world who've became enthralled by Lisbeth Sanders, she of the tattoos, computer hacking, and general badassery. Her supporting character, the dogged journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, isn't too shabby in his own right. This is the best book of the trilogy because it not only introduces the world and mysteries that the reader will live in for two more extraordinary books, but this particular book also has one of the best serial killer mysteries in modern day literature. Come on, be a sheep like me. Read these books. The world is waiting for you to join us. Baaaaah.