Bullseye from NPR host and resident Fantasy-ologist Jesse Thorn joins Randy and Jason from the Maximum Fun studios to talk about what he’s learned in his 12 years of podcasting, his comedy podcast Jordan, Jesse, Go! being much more blue than Bullseye, and taking Judge John Hodgman on the road. Daniel Van Kirk brings County Stories of a man playing hide-and-seek being found naked in a chimney and much more. Later, Jesse Thorn’s British cousin Jesse Thorne arrives to give us the British Sports Report.

This episode is sponsored by Casper and Bonobos.

Why do people feel obligated to do favors for family members that they wouldn’t do for friends? Today, our guest co-host A.J. Jacobs, who has been researching families for his newest book, helps James and Stephen answer that and other questions about families. Some of the topics include the fallacy of surnames being changed at Ellis Island, matriarchy and patriarchy in different cultures, and cheating at poker with your cousin in Las Vegas using Google Glass.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace.

Two years ago a note came in the mail with surprising and horrifying news about her husband. But despite all the darkness that’s crept into her life she is shining with positivity.

This episode is sponsored by AMEX, Ibotta, Stamps.com, Chirpy, and SundanceNow Doc Club.

Lea Palmieri is the Senior Producer at Decider.com and on this coast-to-coast episode of OMFG!, Lea and Deanna are in New York while Emily is in Los Angeles. They are brought together by the internet which is something Lea dreads as a tool for dating. We hear from Lea (an old millennial) as to why it’s important not to share everything on the internet (photos with celebrities included) and everything about the Boy Bands from yesteryear and today.

Jensen & Matty go solo this week to talk about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, The Girlfriend Experience, the new DOOM, how we’re late on Uncharted 4, Windows, and many more things you should know about.

Pick up Jensen’s new book “Kanye West Owes Me $300: And Other True Stories from a White Rapper Who Almost Made It Big” wherever books are sold!

Screenwriter and producer Simon Kinberg joins Josh to talk about writing this year’s summer blockbuster X-Men: Apocalypse and so much more. Have a Happy Sad Confused Memorial Day!

Sorry to get personal, but which way do you wipe? The only reason we ask is because a recent thread (http://goo.gl/49Viln) melted the Cracked.com forums when our dear readers realized that people had slightly different bathroom preferences than them.

As we looked upon the carnage, we realized there are so many insignificant topics that people feel almost violently confident about: hanging your toilet paper over or under, oxford commas, whether to say ‘the’ before the number of a freeway. No matter which side of the aisle you come down on, you know that anyone who disagrees with you is wrong and should probably be sent via a rocket into the sun.

These insignificant topics are what we’re talking about on this week’s podcast. Special guest-host Soren Bowie is joined by Cracked’s Cody Johnston and Michael Swaim and comedian Annie Lederman for a graphic conversation about what these topics are and why they’re so easy to fight over.

Also make sure to buy tickets to our next LIVE podcast taping on Saturday June 11th at 7pm at the UCB Sunset Theatre in Los Angeles!

Every summer we’re treated to the same buffet of three or four science fiction movies with the same basic conceits. There’s man vs. aliens, man vs. robots, man vs. army of clones and man vs. complicated time travel rules. With virtual reality and self-driving cars fast approaching, it’s time to consider what type of sci-fi movie we want to be living in for the rest of our lives. Co-hosts Jack O’Brien and Adam Tod Brown are joined by Cracked’s Tom Reimann and Josh Sargent and comedians David Huntsberger, Adam Newman and Caitlin Gill to figure out which sci-fi trope would be the best to make a reality.

Tickets are only $5 and on sale here: https://goo.gl/EjlM4L

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace.

Superstar musician “Weird Al” Yankovic and co-host/one man band leader of the new season of Comedy Bang! Bang! the TV show joins Scott to talk about what it’s like to being back on a set in almost 20 years, his latest World Tour, and the brand new CBB theme remix. Then, businessman Greg Kerns arrives to really paint us a picture of the ins and outs of his business. Later, lifestyle coach Crap Pollo teaches us his expert steps on how to achieve all of our dreams.

This episode is sponsored by Dollar Shave Club, Seeso, and Stamps.com

Paul F. Tompkins welcomes all of ye– seekers, suckers, and more– to a LIVE episode of Spontaneanation, recorded in front of a live audience on board JoCo Cruise 2016! This week, Paul’s special guest is rapper/actress/writer Jean Grae! They chat about the last time Jean felt tricked, the difficulties of boutique store shopping in New York City, and the worst part of being an adult. Paul is then joined by Matt Gourley, Amanda Lund, and Little Janet Varney to improvise a story set in an IKEA in Narnia. And as always, Eban (only the best) Schletter scores it all on piano! Thanks to Brian Irwin for the show pics and Nathan Diffee for the artwork.  

SPONTANEANATION LIVE returns to Largo on Saturday, June 4th, with improvisors Nyima Funk, Colleen Smith and Chris Tallman, with special interview guest Robyn Hitchcock! Tickets are available now: bit.ly/SPONT616

This episode is sponsored by Seeso and Black Tux.

I meet Foon’s current Mauve Wizard who is also Foon’s first black wizard.

CREDITS:

Arnie: Arnie Niekamp

Chunt: Adal Rifai

Usidore: Matt Young

Jamillious Washington the Mauve: Anthony LeBlanc

Mysterious Man: Tim Sniffen

Craig: Ryan DiGiorgi

Tricia: Kate James

Kern: Spencer Ham

Producers: Arnie Niekamp, Evan Jacover, Ryan DiGiorgi

Editor: Ryan DiGiorgi

Theme Music: Andy Poland

Magic Tavern Logo: Allard Laban

Audio Assistance: Jason Knox

Production Assistant: Garrett Schultz

This episode is sponsored by Cards Against Humanity, Loot Crate, and Total War: War Hammer.

With the recent release of Bryan Singer’s “X-Men: Apocalypse,” Devin and Amy discuss the film that put him on the map – “The Usual Suspects.” They break down the film’s dynamic tones and the well-balanced collaboration among Bryan, writer Christopher McQuarrie and the talented actors. Cast your vote in the Earwolf forums if “The Usual Suspects” is a Canon-worthy film.

Eli Attie, one of the most talented writers out there, is back to join Nate in a discussion about “Brooklyn: A Personal Memoir by Truman Capote,” a book he collaborated on with the long lost photographs that his father took of Truman Capote that are incredible. They also talk about Eli’s time working for Aaron Sorkin, his time working at the Gore campaign, and the love they share for the band Guided by Voices. Pick up a copy of next month’s book, “Geek Love” by Katherine Dunn! Once you’re done reading, call us at (702) 751-READ and let us know what you thought!

Welcome back to What Went Wrong? with your host Alex Papas (Jason Mantzoukas)! It’s the podcast inspired by the movie and the book High Fidelity where Alex talks to ex-girlfriends to try to figure out “What Went Wrong?” This week is a good one as Alex welcomes Louise aka Lou Lou to reminisce about their wonderful relationship and pin point the moment where it went wrong. Later, Traci Reardon appears to answer love questions from her Twitter followers in another edition of “Help Me, Rhonda.”

Tom Scharpling of The Best Show joins Paul, June, and Jason to discuss the 1998 action spy film The Avengers. Recorded LIVE from the 2016 Vulture Festival in New York City, they discuss Sean Connery’s “evil” plan, Uma Thurman’s clone “2ma Thurman”, and the bear costumes. Plus, we hear the very first 4th Opinion in the history of the show!

Don’t forget to check out Blake Harris’ Oral History of The Avengers over at www.slashfilm.com!

Get yourself a BB-8 “What Is Its Mission?” T-shirt or Tote Bag over at http://howdidthisgetmade.bigcartel.com/ Set your DVRs for Party Over Here, a new FOX sketch comedy show from The Lonely Island and Paul starring Nicole Byer, Jessica McKenna, and Alison Rich. It airs Saturdays at 11 pm. People of the internet: Watch Paul in Fresh off the Boat on ABC. Awhile ago, Paul and Rob Huebel did a comedy special on a 60 foot glass bus that traveled around LA. Now you’ll be able to see it. Go to https://itun.es/us/3M4J9 now to buy it! You can also see Jason in Transparent on Amazon! Also, check out June in Grace and Frankie available on Netflix, and in all the episodes of NTSF:SD:SUV:: on HULU for free, and Jason in The Dictator (he’s still in it!).

Andrew Ti and special guest Hayley Huntley finish the week off by discussing the line between a fetish and a preference. As always, leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.

Senator Tim Kaine never had ambitions to be in politics – but he says he had a calling. That calling took him from all the way from Honduras, where he worked as a Catholic missionary, to the US Senate, with plenty of stops in between. In this week’s episode, Sen. Kaine talks about his political journey, the state of the Democratic party and the current race and whether he might enter it as a VP nominee. All along the way, Kaine says he had to balance his strong faith with his mandate to govern fairly.

Comedian Steve Agee joins Randy and Jason on this week’s Sklarbro Country. They discuss kidney stones, the rules of honking and having perspective as a performer. The Sklars bring a Quick Hit of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ robotic practice dummies. Later, Randy and Jason drop by resident fantasyologist Jesse Thorne’s studio to learn about lesser-known fantasy leagues.

Fan fave Jessica Chaffin returns to the nook to co-host with Danielle, along with Real Housewives super sleuth Vanessa Reisen (Weeds, Californication) to discuss how dry cleaners are more important than surgeons and why Ramona’s breasts are (in her words) better than a twenty-five years old’s. Danielle also hesitantly joined Linkedin to find out more about Louanne’s ex Rey and Jessica and Vanessa visited make-up artist to the stars Scott Barnes to get Erica Jayne make-overs.

This week Erin starts to see through the cracks of Portland and Bryan enjoys a nice cabbage meal. Also did you know that the San Diego Padres don’t enjoy the musical stylings of the Gay Men’s Chorus, and that the men of a Scottish golf course think women have cooties? All that and the hilarious Sam Pancake is here! Rich rich. Until next time honeybuns!

From Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein to Spaceballs and The Producers, legendary filmmaker Mel Brooks has been responsible for some of the most beloved movies in the history of cinema. And unsurprisingly, at various points in his career, he has discussed the making of almost all his films. Except for one. The lone dud in his canon—a film so bad The New York Times declared it “an embarrassment”— which Brooks has never publicly discussed: Solarbabies. Well, at least not until now. Blake Harris of /Film chats with Mel Brooks about the whole story.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace.

Hayley Huntley joins Andrew to talk about naming your kid Malcolm X. Make sure to leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.

New Yorker writer and humorist Andy Borowitz joins Sarah and Susan to talk about turning his wife into a cryer like himself, “Christmas Time Is Here” from A Charlie Brown Christmas, “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins, and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” by The Beatles. Plus, Sarah and Susan experience New York nostalgia as they discuss the Broadway musical Hamilton.

This episode is sponsored by Third Love.

Comedian and Jersey boy Chris Gethard wasn’t quite ready to host one of the hottest and most popular podcasts around. As he explains to Adam Sachs on this episode of The Wolf Den, he thought there would be some time in the first few months to feel it out. Instead, getting featured on This American Life attracted a massive audience to his show, Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, who stuck around because of the singular mix of openness, honesty and empathy with which Chris treats the callers to his show. He talks about how the concept for the podcast evolved with the help of producers Gretta Cohn and John Delore, and how he was also surprised by the effusive feedback he’s received from listeners and fans. Chris also reflects on how making the podcast is different from his Fusion television show, “The Chris Gethard Show,” and how Beautiful/Anonymous fits into his desire to find  happiness in making things. Finally, he doles out some tough love advice for aspiring podcasters, and anyone pursuing creative endeavors.

This episode is sponsored by Podcast Movement.

How long does language hold its value? Our guest co-host A.J. Jacobs wants to hear Stephen and James’ answer to that question, especially pertaining to humor. Today’s conversation spans a few millennia, starting with a Sumerian “fart joke” regarded as the oldest surviving joke, moving to whether Shakespeare’s version of English is intelligible to modern Americans, then debating if the top stand-up comics of the last thirty years would be funny to people 100 years ago.

This episode is sponsored by Yotpo.

Role-playing with Kira Soltanovich.

This episode is sponsored by Blue Apron, Bonobos, and Shudder.

Great news! Kevin finally saw “Purple Rain.” He discusses the film with Kamau and actor/returning guest J. August Richards. Before they dive into the film, they talk about “Training Day” (the show), J.’s role in the upcoming ABC drama “Notorious” and Madonna’s tribute to Prince at the Billboard Music Awards. Then, they break down several memorable scenes in “Purple Rain,” including the good and the bad.

Will Hines, Stephanie Allynne and Alex Fernie join Matt Besser on this week’s improv4humans. A ghost writer struggles to transcribe a vague musician, and a classroom discussion about a hypothetical flood gets out of hand. Also, Stephanie’s friends try to convince her to partake in activities at abnormal times. Later, a Hillary and Bernie supporter debate if the presidential candidates should join forces against Trump during Case Closed.

Megyn Kelly (Jessica Chaffin) goes deep with Mark and Pete about her Donald Trump interview, her beauty secrets, and Mark’s unfortunate medical condition. Plus: Dwayne Johnson (Craig Rowin) takes initiative at school.

This episode is sponsored by Bonobos.

Hayley Huntley joins Andrew to talk about the idea of claiming dreadlocks as part of your culture. Make sure to leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.

Prolific actor Peter Jason has a million stories about John Carpenter’s cult classic They Live, Deadwood, and so much more. He joins Matt to talk about what it was like for his character Gilbert the Resistance Leader to get squibbed, the levels of Godhood in David Milch’s John from Cincinnati, and Con Stapleton’s submarine monologue from Deadwood. Plus, we hear how Peter got “t-boned” by Orson Welles. Check out the art on Earwolf.com by Andy Taylor!