Podcasts in Review

July 9, 2015 at 12:00 am | Posted in Podcasts, Podcasts in Review, Regular Feature, Reviews, Star Wars | Leave a comment
Tags: christie golden, dark disciple, fran oz, steve sansweet

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Bombad Radio: Episode 202 features an interview with author Christie Golden as they talk about her latest book Dark Disciple. Christie talks about the project and the unique challenges involved. She also mentions that the first four episodes of the eight episode TCW arc had animatics which she was able to watch as part of her research for the book. The interview also touches on Starcraft and Warcraft. Good interview overall.

EndorCast: Episode IV has an audio clip of Robert Englund laying the story straight on his involvement with Star Wars and how he got Mark Hamill to audition, which is pretty cool. They also have guests Gus Lopez and Amy from the Ewok Builders Club on to talk about the club which is still pretty new and gaining momentum. Afterwards they talk with the Perales family about cosplaying as Star Wars Rebels characters. Nice episode with a cosplaying focus you might want to check out.

Fly Casual: Episode 44 has some news from Kylo Ren’s stuntman who talks about the security onset. Trank talks about fan hate, and they get into some toy news with the San Diego Comic Con Hasbro six inch Black Series The Force Awakens trooper exclusive, the Han and Tauntaun, the Funko C-3PO, Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars Rebels figures, and they talk a little about the E3 Star Wars: Battlefront videos.

Episode 43 starts with a little Billy Joel/Elton John pre-show foolery before they dive into comic reviews for Princess Leia #4, Star Wars #6 and Darth Vader #6. They also cover rumors for Andy Serkis, post-credit scenes, Rey’s parents, the second anthology film and Obi-Wan movies. Mostly it’s speculation so spoilerphobes don’t need to be concerned. Along the ways there’s some laughs, which brings me to a point I’d like to raise. I listen to a lot of Star Wars podcasts and not all of them are fun to listen to, so it makes a world of difference when Fly Casual pops up on the playlist. It’s always a lot of fun. While it might not be for everyone, it certainly works for me. Good job, guys.

Episode 42 includes discussion on Andy Serkis doing mo-cap in Ep VII, Marvel comics dropping bombs about Han Solo, Gary Whitta writing a Star Wars Rebels episode, Abrams being hands off with John Williams, and the Star Wars Uprising mobile game. There’s also a short music discussion in there and an amusing bit on Star Wars mechanics.

Full of Sith: Episode CXX is their review of Star Wars Rebels “Siege of Lothal”. Mike, Bryan and Amy talk about their favorite moments, then they play some interviews they got at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim with Dave Filoni, Ashley Eckstein, Tiya Sircar and others. The interview bits are pretty short, but the Rebels discussion is fun to listen to.

Geek Out Loud: Episode 143 is a Goliverse reads episode for Kevin Hearne’s Heir to the Jedi. Steve, Nicole and Rod talk about the book, take listener feedback, and breakdown the things they did and didn’t like about this Luke Skywalker novel. One thing I did like about this episode is they touched on the audiobook version, which is something I haven’t listened to. Overall, I liked the book a lot more than they did, so it can always be a little rough listening to a review that cuts the book down.

Jedi Journals: July 2015 episode covers comic solicitations for Shattered Empire and the IDW Star Wars: Artifact Edition, as well as upcoming releases, some discussion of a book called Armada, Lords of the Sith, and a spoiler free taste of Dark Disciple, plus a magazine discussion.

My Star Wars Story: Episode 11 features world renown Star Wars collector Steve Sansweet as he shares his Star Wars story. From stories you’ve heard to ones you haven’t, Steve talks about his first Star Wars collectibles and the long road that led to Rancho Obi-Wan. Steve puts his Star Wars experience in perspective and takes listeners along for the ride. It’s a great episode and a fascinating journey.

Rebel Yell: Siege of Lothal episode has an all star hosting lineup with Steve, Teresa, Kay and Erich as they talk about the episode, breakdown the key moments, the nods to the OT, and even some of the things they didn’t like. Great episode overall.

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 83 starts with some San Diego Comic Con discussion, then they talk about the Alice in Wonderland ride makeover at Disneyland, the new ban on selfie sticks, and they break into a review of Star Wars Rebels “Siege of Lothal” with guest Jeff Roney. They also have an interview with Steve Gawley from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. Steve was one of the ILM model makers who worked on Star Wars. Afterwards they talk with Eliza Peralta who was the girl at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim who Dave Filoni told that secret to, alas, she’s keeping that secret and is not telling who the voice of Chopper is. Before wrapping up, Rich and Sarah tease a new spin off show they’re going to be doing with Stephen Stanton and a new segment they’ll be doing with Randy Martinez. Great episode with lots packed in.

Bonus Frank Oz Parts One and Two feature audio from two different shows Frank Oz did at Star Wars Weekends this year. Frank talks about getting into puppetry, doing the voices, the characters, Burt and Ernie, the Muppets, Star Wars, Yoda, Fozzie, Ms. Piggy, Sam Eagle, Cookie Monster and more. Frank Oz fans will definitely want to check out both episodes.

Star Wars Oxygen: Volume 18 begins their discussion of Attack of the Clones. As usual, it’s a good one, but to sweeten the deal, David really lays out some mind blowing details concerning “Galaxy Across the Stars” and the themes hidden within. They also talk about the reuse of the Trade Federation theme for the clones and how that could make sense in the way John Williams used it.

Star Wars Rebels: Declassified: The Siege of Lothal features Jason, Jimmy, Sam Witwer, Kyle Newman and F.J. Desanto as they discuss the special premiere for Star Wars Rebels season two. Sam talks about voicing the Emperor, they talk about James Earl Jones voicing Vader, then go off on a tangent about Heir to the Jedi and the Tootlefruits. Back on subject, Sam provides some excellent insight to the characters and they talk about bridging between the prequel and original trilogy Vader.