Podcasts in Review

January 29, 2015 at 12:00 am | Posted in Interview, Podcasts, Podcasts in Review, Regular Feature, Reviews, Star Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Television, Toys & Collectibles | 1 Comment
Tags: jordan d. white, mark bellomo, tish pahl

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Coffee With Kenobi: Book Chat with Jordan D. White, Marvel’s Star Wars editor, dives into how he got the gig, his enthusiasm for the project, working with the story group, what lines they have coming out, and how they’re approaching them. It’s a great interview and definitely worth catching.

Rebels Reactions – “Path of the Jedi” features guest Tom Gross (Star Wars in the Classroom) as talk about the episode of Star Wars Rebels. I really liked how they covered the symbolism in the episode which certainly set it apart from other reviews.

Show #30 starts out with a nice conversation with Lillian Skye who talks about her fandom, writing a college paper on the impact of Star Wars, and working for Star Wars Underworld. The Bearded Trio mentions that there will be a new Jurassic World trailer during the Super Bowl. Then the show heads into an interview with Mark Bellomo, the author of The Ultimate Guide to Vintage Star Wars Action Figures, 1977-1985. Mark talks about vintage Kenner Star Wars figures, vehicles and playsets, the challenge of including prices, the difficulty of deciding what to include and what not to include, his choice of narrative and using the Expanded Universe, his previous works and the extent of his collection, as well as his overall passion for Star Wars and collecting. Really a great interview and well worth listening to as I’ve seen his book out there but I didn’t know anything about the author, which always makes me skeptical about picking up the book. Now, having heard the interview and learning who Mark is, I’m definitely going to check out his book.

Disney Vault Talk: Lady and the Tramp episode starts out with their plans for the Cure marathon (which was last Saturday), they head into listener emails tackling princes, Once Upon A Time, top villains and top sidekicks, and then a little on Strange Magic. Their main discussion is on the Disney animated film Lady and the Tramp, which I’ve seen, but it’s been a long, long time. They talk about how the film was based on a short story, how Disney studied dogs to get the animation right, and how Walt Disney actually wanted to cut the spaghetti scene from the script, but once he saw it animated, changed his mind. They compare the film to a list of best love story movies, Steve makes some dolphin noises, and there is a short aftershow. Fun discussion with some good laughs.

Fangirl Chat: Star Wars Unites Athena’s Daughters episode features a nice interview with Star Wars author Tish Pahl. Tish talks about seeing Star Wars in ’77, fanzines, reading Heir to the Empire in secret, the Star Ladies, Club Jade and the Wild Cards, meeting Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole, writing short stories for Star Wars, and about girls and fandom. Very cool interview shining a light on aspects of fandom that are being forgotten as well as discussion the issues of boy marketing in Star Wars and the importance of Mara Jade. For those who haven’t checked out Fangirl Chat before, it’s often hosted by Tricia Barr and Teresa Delgado (the hosts of Fangirls Going Rogue). This particular episode, however, is done by Tricia and Kay, who do a great job with the interview.

Mockingjay Part 1 Review features Tricia, Teresa, and Bethany as they discuss the latest Hunger Games movie. Having read the books but not seen the movies (except for the first one), I rather enjoyed hearing their opinions on the film.

Flying Casual: Episode 22 starts out with a holiday recap, then they head into some dangerous territory as they talk about George Lucas, his new film Strange Magic, his latest comments, and his past films. The convo is not a George-safe zone, so fair warning, there is a lot of harsh criticism. Afterwards they talk about Revenge of the Sith being shown in 3D at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim (note that Celebration will actually be showing all three prequel films in 3D), Marvel Star Wars #1 selling a million copies and why, and cap things off with a toy report. The toy report includes the leaked images of The Force Awakens Hasbro Black Series 6-inch figures, solicitations for possible merchandise like Black Series vehicles, and a Walgreens update on proto-Fett no longer shipping but a new exclusive possibly on the way. All in all, while these guys can get rough with their prequel and George bashing, I still enjoyed the show, but some listeners may want to steer clear on this one.

Geek Out Loud: Episode 118 has a lot of random stuff as Steve tackles Terminator, sings some Rock Sugar, talks Marvel movies–Spider Man, Fantastic Four, Daredevil–talks Marvel comics like Hulk and Fantastic Four, then gets into an in-depth breakdown of the Age of Ultron trailer complete with comparisons to the previous The Avengers trailers.

My Star Wars Story: Episode 4 features Matt Hunsworth (from Star Wars in Character). As the usual format for this podcast, they go in-depth interview with Matt as he shares his Star Wars story, and as I’ve been listening to the episodes, it’s infinitely intriguing how everyone has things in common and so many differences. For instance, Matt’s first exposure to Star Wars was the toys and he didn’t see Star Wars until a year later (as his parents hated lines). He talked about seeing each of the films in theaters, what his feelings were after Return of the Jedi, and how he got back into Star Wars. He talks about a book he wrote just for fun that was a sequel to ROTJ, seeing the special editions and the prequels (some of which he saw in Puerto Rico, and how he completely missed The Phantom Menace in theaters), getting into the Expanded Universe novels, getting into podcasting, how Star Wars in Character started, and how the Artmor Project came about. They even talk a little about Brian Daley and the Star Wars audio dramas. It all summed up into an excellent interview exploring Star Wars and fandom.

Episode 2 features Scott Gardner (co-founder of Two True Freaks internet radio network). Scott’s story starts with seeing Star Wars in ’77 and collecting the toys, the cards, and any merchandise he could get anyone to buy him. He also talks about the moment he sold his toys, never getting into the Expanded Universe, his disappointment in the prequels and how he feels divided about the future. As always, an entertaining listening experience. Not only does everyone have a Star Wars story, but in these cases, they provide a journey for listeners to join in on.

RebelForce Radio: Episode 1.23.2015 covers their mention in Entertainment Weekly, Lando’s appearance in Star Wars Rebels, George Lucas’ recent comments on The Force Awakens, rumors about female leads for first standalone film, Andy Serkis’ voices, and some Star Wars on Pawn Stars.

Rebels Declassified: “Idiots Array” includes Jason, Jimmy and special guests Tricia Barr and artist Randy Martinez as they talk about the episode of Star Wars Rebels. From Zeb’s gambling issues, to Lando’s ability to plan ahead, smooth talk the ladies and cheat at cards, they cover a lot of fun topics.

Rock Out Loud: Party TIME!!! episode celebrated Steve and Kristin’s birthdays with some party songs. Before diving into the party list, though, they cover some listener emails, Steve plays a Bon Jovi cover of “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”, they talk about new wave music and bass solos. The party list breaks down as follows: “Crazy Crazy Nights” by Kiss, “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith, “Golden Years” by David Bowie, “Slang” by Def Leppard, “Unstoppable” by Foxy Shazam, “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC, “Get Off of My Cloud”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, and “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll” by The Rolling Stones, “Dance the Night Away” by Van Halen, “Devil Inside” by INXS, “Cream” by Prince, “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers, “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Bob Seger, “Look What the Cat Dragged In” by Poison, “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses, “Smooth” by Santana with Rob Thomas, “Into the Night” by Santana with Chad Kroeger, and “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. It’s an interesting mix with some songs I’ve never heard, and some I would have skipped. Definitely enjoyed the INXS song as that hit the spot.

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 63 includes their coverage of the runDisney Star Wars Half-Marathon. They talk about the BB-8 costumes they made, the costumes they saw other runners wearing, the swag they got, and the people they met. They even have some interviews with fellow runners. Afterwards they talk with Shan­non Abeyta, the event manager for runDisney on the west coast who shares some of the challenges involved, the fun moments, and the attention given to volunteers and training. Then they speak with Rob Dehlinger, the man behind on the Star Wars jingles lately on various podcasts, as he talks about his upcoming trip to Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. Excellent episode overall with tons of Star Wars goodness packed in.

Star Wars Bookworms: Episode #36 features special guest Bria (Tosche Station) as they briefly cover Marvel Star Wars #1, then go into detail with Legacy Volume 4 – Empire of One and Star Wars Volume 4: A Shattered Hope. Good reviews and good discussion.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.