Scott Cooper, the writer-director of Crazy Heart, which earned Jeff Bridges an Oscar, and this year’s Black Mass with Johnny Depp joins Leonard to talk about his lifelong love of movies, how he makes actors feel at ease, and one of his favorite sleepers, Funny Bones (1995) with Oliver Platt and Jerry Lewis.

Howard, Kulap, and Stard are reunited! We’ll hear all about Howard’s new weapons to fight the clench and see if Kulap can name all of The Beatles as they count down the Top 5 Songs from iTunes. Then, Howard breaks down the main issue he has with Marvel’s Jessica Jones during the Top 5 Prime Time Ratings By Viewership for Television Chart. Later, author and podcaster Emily V. Gordon answers chartist questions about her upcoming Judd Apatow-produced film “The Big Sick,” her book “Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero,” and “The Wiz Live” on NBC.

As the end of the year approaches, so does the number of cards promising to make a charitable donation “in your name”. But how well do these charities spend the money with your name attached to it? Also, what does it take to make “the list” for an annual holiday party?

Molly Lambert and Andrew talk about if it’s racist to be afraid of getting sick from street food and water from China. Be sure to keep leaving us messages at (323) 389-RACE.

The Shrimps take on the Miss Demeanors at Pan Pacific Park. Matt Gourley and Mark McConville call the action, Greg Escalante has the Sock Report. Season finale!

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

Pistol Shrimps Radio on Twitter: @ShrimpsRadio
Matt Gourley on Twitter and IG: @MattGourley
Mark McConville on Twitter and IG: @MarkMcConville

Hope Booksh of MTV’s Awkward is no stranger to awkward situations and is a master of “smell the fart” acting. Hope joins Deanna & Emily this week to talk about what it was like going to high school during a time when fights go down on the wall, the Thigh Brow phenomenon, and how social media has created the term FOMO. Plus, Hope plays a quick round of “Awkward AF or Chill AF?”

Actress Alison Becker joins Jensen and Matty to talk about her time on the MTV prank show Boiling Points, interviewing R. Kelly as a TV VJ, the online show Mayne Street with ESPN broadcaster Kenny Mayne, Sowle, Bon Jovi, CreativeMornings, 5 Every Day, E Dance, Anomalisa, Clifton’s Cafeteria, the Secret Hitler game, how we’re late on battle rapper Fresco, Chopped Junior, the Griffith Observatory and many other things you should know about.

Recorded LIVE at UCB Sunset’s Inner Sanctum, Ian Roberts, co-founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade, hosted a lecture on the topic of “rules” vs. “no rules” in improv comedy. It’s Ian’s position that rules are necessary for teaching, learning, and practicing improv and any other discipline. Listen as Ian presents his argument and engages with the audience. For more info, consult the UCB Comedy Improv Manual and stay tuned for part two!

Does the stress of the holidays compel you to pick up the martini glass? For many it does, but at what cost?

County favorite and fantastic writer Matt Goldich is back to talk about writing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the benevolent vandalism he’s experienced with his recent move to Harlem in NY, and misappropriated Shakespeare quotes. Then, Daniel Van Kirk brings us stories that include Darth Vader being arrested after a Jacksonville Beach attempted robbery, a New Jersey woman accused of making a fake 911 call so she could drive drunk, and a Brazilian group that is putting racist comments on billboards near offenders’ homes. Plus, we hear a special message from Doug Buffone on why the Bears are doing so well recently.

Sean and Hayes introduce a new call-in segment called the Phonecorn Gallery where they take calls about the news, with topics like the Chris Evert Celebrity Tennis Tournament, Gwen Stefani, the queen, people building walls, the movie Spectre, and new bugs.

Molly Lambert and Andrew talk about the 80s, Star Wars at Disneyland, and a caller’s question about calling out Black Lives Matter protesters as “anti-white.” Make sure to leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.

Incredible actor Mark Strong joins Josh this week to talk about currently playing Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge on Broadway, discovering acting while studying law, the importance of diction in acting, and his thoughts on playing villains in film.

One of the foundational stones of modern filmmaking and modern acting is 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause. This week Devin & Amy discuss a groundbreaking film starring the iconic James Dean which explores the differences and conflicts between generations. Tune in to hear Devin & Amy talk about whether the attitudes in the movie still ring true to teens — and head to the forums on Wolfpop to cast the deciding vote!

Stand-up extraordinaire Eugene Mirman aka 1/3 of the Titans of Comedy returns to tell us all about his new 9-volume comedy album “I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome)” on this week’s Comedy Bang Bang! Eugene goes into what you can find in his new comedy album (including 45 minutes of himself crying), describes exactly what is a “Fuckscape,” and ponders the possibility of a Talking Bob’s Burgers after show. Then, George St. Geegland & Gil Faizon fly in from New York to talk about their holiday plans, the 60s, and their current Off-Broadway run of their new show “The Oh, Hello Show.” Don’t miss it or you might get Tuna’d!

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!