In 186 3, German chemist Julius Wilbrand was trying to make yellow dye and what he came up with was trinitrotoluene, also known as TNT . Twenty years went by until his creation was actually discovered to be explosive and another twenty went by until the first armies started using TNT to blow stuff up. So what was originally just a yellow dye for some lederhosen in the 19th century eventually became one of the most widely used and deadly explosives of the 20th. 

On this week’s podcast, Jack O’Brien is joined by Cracked editors Soren Bowie and Kristi Harrison to share some of the various inventions and ideas throughout history that started off innocent, yet grew into something horrific. They talk about how a single letter in a medical journal started the heroin epidemic, how Hitler used America to model his empire, and how a conversation over a beer led to 160 million women disappearing from history.

Paul F. Tompkins welcomes the beautiful people of Beverly Hills AND the internet to a LIVE episode of Spontaneanation recorded at the 2015 LA Podfest! This week, Paul’s special guest is Andy Daly of Comedy Central’s Review! They chat about Andy’s on-camera experience with lizards, how Andy learned to tell time, and his mistrust of the ocean. Paul is then joined by Matt Gourley, Craig Cackowski, and Janet Varney to improvise a story set at a Saltwater Tuffy Shoppe. And as always, Eban Schletter (only the best) scores it all on piano!

LIVE episodes of SPONTANEANATION return to Largo on The Coronet on Saturday, February 6, 2016! Get your tickets now: bit.ly/SPONT0216

Writer Molly Lambert is back to join Andrew all this week to answer some racism questions. Today they discuss whether or not yoga is cultural appropriation. Be sure to call us at (323) 389-RACE to ask if anything is racist.

Comedians and presenters Negin Farsad, Lizz Winstead and John Fugelsang sat down in the Earwolf studio to talk about guns and gun violence, and offer up some solutions.

Jeff Levine runs the TV department at Random House. Jeff joins Nate this week to talk about the process of book & TV development, how profitable a TV series could be for a writer, and the most appealing part of his job. Then, Nate closes the show by reading the outstanding short story “The Big Cat” by Louise Erdrich from The New Yorker. Don’t forget to pick up “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel and send in your thoughts on the book at readingaloudpodcast@gmail.com. Los Angeles: Reading Aloud is LIVE on Sunday, December 13th at 7:30pm at UCB Franklin featuring Seth Morris as Bob Ducca and more special guests! Get tickets at www.ucbtheatre.com!

Joel Stein, journalist extraordinaire and regular contributor to Time joins Ronna & Beverly to chat about his experience getting hair plugs, getting a call from GQ for him to get in superhero shape, The Naughty Jewish Boys Calendar, and trying to improve his marriage by watching less porn which can be heard on his new HOWL podcast What’s Wrong With Me? Also, Beverly apologizes for an incident that occurred this past Thanksgiving.

Check out Joel’s GQ piece here: http://www.gq.com/story/fitness-how-to-get-chris-pratt-fit

What happens when one of the greatest basketball players of the 90s becomes a superhero? Find out next week! This week Paul goes through Corrections and Omissions for Hackers, answers whether or not Nic Cage would have made Hackers better, and recommends some great TV shows during Scheer’s Picks. Plus, Paul tells us whose his favorite friend from Friends, which Nic Cage character would win in a battle royale, and more as he answers your Qs!

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

People of the internet: Keep watching The League on FXX 10pm on Wednesdays! A while ago, Paul and Rob Huebel did a comedy special on a 60 foot glass bus that traveled around LA and 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 The Night Before in a theater near you!

The Hotwives (Casey Wilson, Danielle Schneider, Andrea Savage, Dannah Phirman, Tymberlee Hill, Angela Kinsey, Erinn Hayes) are back and this time they are in Vegas baby! Watch The Hotwives of Las Vegas on Hulu today!

Also, check out June in Grace and Frankie available on Netflix, Paul in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp on Netflix, all the episodes of NTSF:SD:SUV:: on HULU for free, ScheeRL on YouTube here:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbNGyZuMGBm0cq73JN-QhcpQNc-Shtlb7, and Jason in The Dictator (he’s still in it!).

Ladies and gentleman and fellow Americans, welcome back to Land of The Danny Freeman with your host and Ultra Right-wing conservative Danny Freeman (Nick Vatterott)! Today we will find out what happened to America when special guest & Ultra Left-wing liberal Bethany Framboise, the polar bear from Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth stops by the studio. Bethany shares her thoughts on the environment, goes through some of Danny’s neighbor’s mail, reads scenes from The Little Mermaid, and reveals 24 true facts about herself. Later, Traci Reardon arrives to get political and help her Twitter followers with advice on America in another edition of Help Me, Rhonda. 

This episode is being re-released into the free feed in honor of Earwolf’s new podcast, GET RICH NICK, hosted by Nick Vatterott & Nick Turner. To subscribe, go to h.earwolf.com/nick  ! 

Andrew Ti and special guests Taz Ahmed & Zahra Noorbakhsh of the Good Muslim, Bad Muslim podcast finish the week off by discussing cultural appropriation of one’s parents. As always, leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.

We venture out of the Vermilion Minotaur for a meal at Chu Chu’s Chow! Not sure what they serve, but it’s got to beat spiced potatoes.

Credits

Arnie: Arnie Niekamp
Chunt: Adal Rifai
Usidore: Matt Young
Leonard Kronkite: Lauren Lopez
Bungaree Chubbins: Tom Gottlieb
Craig: Ryan DiGiorgi
Mysterious Man: Tim Sniffen

Producers: Arnie Niekamp, Evan Jacover, Ryan DiGiorgi
Editor: Chris Rathjen
Theme Music: Andy Poland
Chu Chu’s Chow Restaurant Loop (and also the Vermilion Minotaur loop you hear every week but we’re terrible about crediting it) by Jason Knox
Episode art provided by Tyler Canterbury

Sponsors
Emporium Arcade Bar via The Chicago Podcast Cooperative

Leonard and Baron are back this week to discuss three movies set in New York: the delightful 2009 release City Island, a major league movie that they think is not so hot, and 1994’s Fresh, a genuine sleeper.

Kimberly Barrante, screenwriter of Celeritas, joins Franklin this week to chat about how Celeritas started as her very first screenplay for a Screenwriting 101 class, writing a Sci-Fi novel titled “New Novel” as a child, and why talking to people could essentially lead to your next collaborator.

Season 2 of the new and improved The Black List Table Reads with Franklin Leonard continues this week with the Sci-Fi/Drama earmovie Celeritas by screenwriter Kimberly Barrante. When a missing astronaut crash lands forty years after he launched having not aged a day, his elderly twin brother helps him escape the NASA scientists hunting him. As the government closes in, neither brother is who they claim to be. Our presentation stars Jake Abel, Justin Chatwin, Alexandra Daddario, Christine Estabrook, Matthew Del Negro, Kevin Weisman, Adam Grimes, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Matthew Jaeger, and Cooper Thornton.

Kimberly Barrante, screenwriter of Celeritas, joins Franklin this week to chat about how Celeritas started as her very first screenplay for a Screenwriting 101 class, writing a Sci-Fi novel titled “New Novel” as a child, and why talking to people could essentially lead to your next collaborator.

Playwright and poet Dan O’Brien joins Jessica St. Clair, Danielle Schneider, Lennon Parham, and Jason Mantzoukas for a special poetry filled edition of improv4humans with Matt Besser! Dan reads some poems from his Scarsdale and War Reporter collections to inspire scenes about the “hmmming” phenomenon in the poetry world, the prophecy of having to marry your improv scene partner after doing a proposal scene, and buying stolen items from raccoons. Make sure to get the Upright Citizens Brigade television show season 3 now available on DVD, the UCB Comedy Improv Manual, and Dragoon’s new album at dragoongalaxy.bandcamp.com!

Finishing a hat with Jimmy and the gang.

Today’s question is all about America’s favorite winter-holiday foul, their modern day voluptuous ‘white meat’, and the new industry that’s sprung up because of it.

Good Muslim, Bad Muslim podcast hosts Taz Ahmed & Zahra Noorbakhsh and Andrew talk about Syrian refugees. Don’t forget to keep leaving us messages by calling (323) 389-RACE. Fuck Gamergate.

On the inaugural episode of Bitch Sesh, Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider welcome actor/writer Matt McConkey (Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Marry Me) to break down the Season 6 premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! They’ll cover everything from the breaking news of David Foster & Yolanda Foster’s separation to the ghost of Kim Richards. Plus, everyone discusses which fired Housewive they would bring back as they answer your Twitter Qs!

On the inaugural episode of Bitch Sesh, Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider welcome actor/writer Matt McConkey (Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Marry Me) to break down the Season 6 premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! They’ll cover everything from the breaking news of David Foster & Yolanda Foster’s separation to the ghost of Kim Richards. Plus, everyone discusses which fired Housewive they would bring back as they answer your Twitter Qs!

Travon Free, writer for the multiple Emmy award winning The Daily Show joins Kamau & Kevin to discuss the Tony Scott directed disaster film Unstoppable starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. They also talk about how Travon went from playing college basketball to becoming a stand-up comedian, his experience when The Daily Show won at the 2015 Emmys, diversity in writing rooms, working with two different Daily Show hosts, and Travon’s love of intense Denzel as he shares his Top 5 Denzel films.

Howard and guest co-host Ele “Ku” Woods gab about how their Thanksgiving went, Bieber’s horn, and baby elephants as they count down the Billboard Top 5 Dance Electric Songs Music Chart. Then, Howard shares his strong feelings toward Earwolf doing a Space themed Holiday party, why Peanuts should exist as drawings, and wigs during the Movie Chart. Later, Emmy award nominated Moonbeam City creator Scott Gairdner answers chartist questions about the beautiful alternate dimension 80s visuals of Moonbeam City, Rob Lowe, and the dearly loved Funny or Die show Clip Cup.

James is spending the holidays without his wife or daughters this year, and needs help to make the most out of a lonely situation. Will Stephen be able to rouse James from his December funk?

Good Muslim, Bad Muslim podcast hosts Taz Ahmed and Zahra Noorbakhsh & Andrew talk about the popularity of Banksy’s art in Gaza. Be sure to keep leaving us messages at (323) 389-RACE.

The Shrimps take on The Blouses at North Weddington Auditorium. Matt Gourley and Mark McConville call the action, Jensen Karp has the Sock Report. Shrimps sticks.

The Shrimps on Twitter: @pistolshrimpsbb
The Shrimps on Instagram: thepistolshrimps

Matt Gourley on Twitter and IG: @MattGourley
Mark McConville on Twitter and IG: @MarkMcConville

Relationship coach Laura Yates visits Deanna & Emily from across the pond to talk about the importance of having phone conversations, going out to meet people, technology & trust issues, and social media etiquette after going through a break up. Plus, Laura gives dating advice to Deanna & Emily’s 20 year old selves!

Comedian Daniel Van Kirk joins Jensen and Matty to talk about how he began doing his amazing Mark Wahlberg impression after watching The Happening, his podcast Hindsight, studying at Second City in Chicago, Redman’s “Mudface,” 11/22/63, Ben Simmons, season 2 of Fargo, Bubbli, how we’re late on W/ Bob and David, Spaceteam, Walking Dead and many other things you should know about.

Holiday sweaters, cash, and one oft-mentioned backgammon set are fair play for today’s discussion about gift giving and “dead weight loss”. Side question: Are any holidays ‘real’? James doesn’t seem to think so.

The hilarious Hampton Yount joins the County boys to share stories of Thanksgiving and to tell us all about playing Crow T. Robot in the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot. Then, Daniel Van Kirk brings us stories that include a couple being arrested after they called 911 five times, because they saw possums and people jumping out of the refrigerator and microwave, a Florida woman who fell asleep in a grease dumpster, and carjackers who found a 8-year-old boy in the backseat and then dropped him off at school. Plus, we get on update from Robert Durst on how his Thanksgiving feast went this year.

Check out the MST3K Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mst3k/bringbackmst3k

Good Muslim, Bad Muslim podcast hosts Taz Ahmed and Zahra Noorbakhsh and Andrew talk about Gods of Egypt starring White people and diversity in Hollywood. Make sure to leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.