Podcasts in Review

August 7, 2014 at 12:00 am | Posted in Interview, Podcasts, Podcasts in Review, Regular Feature, Reviews, Star Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Television, The Clone Wars | Leave a comment
Tags: bill ratner, jake lloyd, tasia valenza, ted white

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Assembly of Geeks: “Looking Back on Comic-Con & Looking Forward to the Quest” gives a recap of SDCC from the Wonder Woman reveal to the Flash pilot and everything else. Justin Cavender joins them to talk about being at the con and some of the panels. They also play some clips of interviews with the producers of The Quest, talk about Robert Downey Jr. doing Iron Man 4, Dwayne Johnson possibly being in Shazam, and the J.J. Abrams Force for Change video.

Big Pop Fun: Episode #104 features an excellent interview with legendary stuntman Ted White. Ted has some great stories. He talks about working with John Wayne, what he was like, being Wayne’s stuntman and doing movies like Rio Bravo and Hatari. In fact Ted has some pretty wild stories about Hatari. He also talks about actors Ben Johnson and Jeff Bridges, his work on Fast and the Furious, and training stuntmen. Excellent interview that provides some insight on Hollywood, stuntmen and some legendary actors.

Bombad Radio: Episode 158 features their interview with voice actor Bill Ratner. Let me just say that this one has some good stuff. Bill talks about doing narration, voice over, impressions, there’s lots of joking around and Bill is just a funny guy. He’s also a great storyteller. He talks about his work for the old G.I. Joe cartoon and his newer work like Mass Effect. It’s a very enjoyable episode and the kind of show anyone can listen to and have fun, no matter what your fandom. I recommend checking it out, it’s another one of Bombad Radio’s priceless interviews.

Episode 159 cranks out another interview, this time with actor (now editor) Jake Lloyd. I thought it was hilarious that they get Jake Lloyd on and talk about video games. Not only did it break the ice, but it was just plain fun to hear them all geek out on games. However, for those die hard Star Wars fans, they do talk about The Phantom Menace, Jake’s love for Star Wars, and he shares some cool stories about working with the actors on set. He also fills us in on what he’s been up to in the last few years, namely college and editing. They talk some film craft, stories on Arnold Schwarzenegger and Liam Neeson, and games like KOTOR, KOTOR II and Dark Souls. Very casual interview, really it’s just a conversation with Jake Lloyd, and a great episode to listen to.

Episode 160 features their interview with actress and voice actress Tasia Valenza. They talk about her start in soap operas, how she got into voice over, her videogame work, and more. Outside of the interview, the hosts talk some Final Fantasy and about the upcoming guests for Salt Lake Comic Con. Good episode.

Coffee with Kenobi: “A Cup of Clone Wars – The Clovis Arc” features special guest Garr Van Orden (who won the opportunity to guest host) as they talk about the Clovis arc in TCW season six. Garr certainly holds his own as they dig deep into the episode covering the themes and characters. While Garr’s audio is just a little bit off, this turned out to be one of the best discussions I’ve heard so far for episodes of TCW. Definitely check this one out.

Full of Sith: Episode LXXV is a listener question episode. Bobby and Mike answer questions from the listeners ranging from whether Plagueis made Anakin, what color would your lightsaber be, did Leia use her latent Force powers to resist torture, and if the galaxy will know Vader was Luke and Leia’s father. There’s a good variety of questions and it makes for a very entertaining episode, great one for Star Wars fans.

Radio 1138: Episode 13 has a very brief recap of SDCC then jumps into a interview with Ashley Eckstein conducted by Teresa Delgado. Ashley talks about Star Wars Weekends, gives her thoughts on Star Wars Rebels, interacting with the audience, and stand out moments. Afterwards they have coverage of Farthest From 6, and have a discussion comparing Star Wars to Star Trek, the kid element of the movies, and how Star Wars compares to the Marvel. Interesting episode with some serious variety.

Rebels Report: Episode 15 has an in-depth conversation with author Adam Bray on his book Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide. He talks about what he drew upon for the book, what he was inspired by, the direction he was given, what didn’t make it in, etc. Great interview and worth a listen.

Rock Out Loud: “Dust in the Wind?” starts off with an hour dedicated to listener feedback and Steve’s account of the Def Leppard/KISS concert he went to. Glad to hear Def Leppard still brings it live. The main discussion on this episode is key members of bands that died young. They cover the 27 club, airplane crashes, drugs, and legends like Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury, Randy Rhoades, Dimebag Darrell, Steve Clark and Ronnie Van Zant. Lots of song clips, band trivia and fun discussion.

Star Wars Action News: Episode 429 is the first part of their San Diego Comic Con coverage. It includes audio from the Star Wars Hasbro panel, the Star Wars Kotobukiya panel, and the Star Wars Q&A featuring a bunch of the various licensees. The panels talk about recent items and stuff that will be coming out next year. Some of the audio is better than others, but if you’re a collector, you’ll probably want to give it all a listen.

Star Wars Influences: Episode #8 kicks off with an X-wing discussion fueled by the Force for Change video. They also talk about the influences for Wookiees, Imperial walkers, and more. It’s an interesting look at some of the artists who inspired Ralph McQuarrie’s work. Be sure to check out their page for the visuals that go along with the podcast.

Star Wars Report: Episode #138 features special guest Father Roderick (Secrets of Star Wars). It’s a very insightful discussion as Father Roderick talks about the early days of internet fandom. He explains how a priest in the Netherlands with no money wound up at Celebration I, how he started a Star Wars fansite that quickly garnered a lot of attention, getting the script for The Phantom Menace before the movie came out, and other fun stories. Plus they go over the latest Episode VII rumors. Definitely worth a listen, and if you like Father Roderick, be sure to check out his podcast Secrets of Star Wars which focuses entirely on the new Star Wars films.