Media/Lit

In this episode, Randy and Kris are joined by editor-in-chief of the ⁠Pop Break⁠ digital pop culture magazine, ⁠Bill Bodkin⁠ , not only to watch Rian Johnson’s Knives Ou t (2019), but also to engage in a full “whodunit” experience! In addition to bringing their thinking caps, the panelists also bring their finest autumnal sweaters in honor of Chris Evans perfect “Fall in New England” vibes. Randy...

Randy and Kris are joined by Kris’s long-time buddy (and Randy’s new friend) Owen Amsler to discuss Saving Silverman (2001). Before they dig into the episode, the panelists brainstorm their own hypothetical cover bands to rival the “Diamonds in the Rough” from the film. Additionally, the crew gets vulnerable and digs into some of the best and worst things they learned from popular media as young m...

This Media/Lit sound bite brings you recommendations for both Matt Reeves' The Batman and The Penguin. In this brief sound bite that was cut for time, Randy's son interrupts the "Tell-Tale Heart" recording and accidentally prompts a Batman conversation. Please enjoy this sound bite and consider catching up on The Penguin before the finale this weekend! Want to get in touch? Visit our ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠web...

Welcome to the very first installment of MediALIVE! In this very special series, we offer performances and readings of great literature, poetry, and other forms of media! To kick things off, Kris performs "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. Enjoy! Want to get in touch? Visit our ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠website ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Follow us on Twitter: ⁠⁠ @MediaLitPod ⁠⁠ and Instagram: ⁠⁠ @media.lit.pod ⁠⁠ ! Also, hit us wi...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, PODLINGS! You’ve heard of a romance. You’ve heard of a bromance…but have you ever heard of a POEmance? Randy and Kris are joined by English teacher Jonathan Corte-Real to discuss Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart.” They discuss bromances, Poe’s unique appeal, and their favorite artistic choices …but first, Kris hits the others with a Buzzfeed quiz to determine th...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of "Bat Chat" - Media/Lit's ongoing series of Batman content with a special focus on Batman: The Animated Series . Randy and Kris respond to the Bat-Signal with teacher & writer Timm Freitas, the creator of the Garden of English YouTube channel. You see, despite Gotham’s recent heat wave, the city has been experiencing a series of suspiciously icy crimes. Lucki...

Randy and Kris are here for ANOTHER minisode about minisodes: specifically, the seven Bluey minisodes that dropped in October 2024! These two dads work together to rank the episodes and explore how they reflect what the Media/Lit crew values in their Bluey content. The hosts share their excitement for the latest dose of Bluey content, discuss which new games they are most likely to play with their...

Randy and Kris are joined by Bill George, the creator of Should I Go See It? - a fun, useful, and unpretentious film review Instagram account and podcast , to discuss Michael Mann’s seminal classic: Heat (1995) . Bill explores his lifelong love of film and tracks his history with Heat from his first VHS viewing to his ongoing quest to convince his podcast cohosts to watch one of the most important...

Randy and Kris are joined once again by some of their favorite voices from the LOST fandom to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the LOST pilot with part two of Media/Lit ’s very first “Draft & Pitch” event. In this PITCH episode, the assembled podcasters each present their pitch for a fun, but unnecessary, legacy sequel for LOST using the characters they drafted in part one . Please understand...

This Media/Lit sound bite brings you a quick preview of part two of our LOST 20th anniversary celebration Draft & Pitch episode. In this brief sound bite that was cut for time, Shruti recognizes a very particular image of Benjamin Linus in John’s presentation. The panel reflects on Ben’s ability to take a beating and then gears up for Shruti’s very Juliet-centric pitch.  Please enjoy this soun...

Randy and Kris are joined by some of their favorite voices from the LOST fandom to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the LOST pilot with part one of Media/Lit ’s very first “Draft & Pitch” event... “We’re all here now, and God knows how long we’re gonna be here. But if we can’t DRAFT together, we’re gonna POD alone.”  In this DRAFT episode, the assembled podcasters select some of their very fa...

Randy and guest host ⁠Maria Giddings⁠ are joined by Doug Lief , host of the Nostalgium Arcanum podcast, to discuss one of the biggest television events of all time: Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter “The Best of Both Worlds.” Kris is off on assignment for this episode, but worry not! He beams up to wish us luck and he will be back in the host chair next week!  After exploring Doug’s histor...

Randy and Kris are joined by amateur musician Tyrone Stokley to discuss Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album, DAMN. (2017). The hosts dig into Tyrone’s personal and emotional connection to the material before unpacking the album on thematic, stylistic, ethical, and even spiritual levels.  Next, the team identifies some of their top tracks. They explain how each one stands out from the pac...

In this episode, Randy and Kris are joined by Pop Break podcasters Bill Bodkin and Alex Marcus to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first Guardians of the Galaxy film by pitching full concepts and soundtracks for a hypothetical new installment in this beloved MCU franchise. Bill is the editor-in-chief of The Pop Break digital entertainment magazine, and Alex is the director of the Pop Break po...

This Media/Lit sound bite brings you a quick preview of our upcoming coverage of the Guardians of the Galaxy 10th anniversary with special guests Bill Bodkin and Alex Marcus of ⁠The Pop Break⁠ . In this brief sound bite that was cut for time, Bill and Alex find themselves on a quick tangent about the Guardians of the Galaxy Disney theme park rides. Randy seeks vacation advice. Please enjoy this so...

This Media/Lit sound bite brings you a taste of our coverage of The Owl House for "Saturday Morning Adventures" on The Pop Break podcast feed. In this brief sound bite, Randy, Kris, and Pop Break television editor Avani Goswami discuss a few additional fandom ships that we had to cut for time from the fourth installment of our Owl House retrospective. Most notably, the hosts discuss the...

Randy and Kris have a heck of a lot of content for you this week, just not in the form of a new episode of Media/Lit . In this update, Randy checks in to make sure you check out Media/Lit 's four-episode guest-hosting gig on "Saturday Morning Adventures" for The Pop Break ! Your Media/Lit hosts teamed up with Pop Break TV editor Avani Goswami for a full retrospective on Disney's The Owl House . Ra...

In this episode, Randy and Kris are joined by an all star panel to discuss the the instant impact of the recent X-Men '97 series. We chat with returning guest John Aspler, an academic with a PhD in ethics/neuroscience and a passion for media analysis. We also welcome Blake Coleman, a law enforcement officer, comic book fan, and the inspiration behind Media/Lit's Equilibrium (2002) episode!...

Kris and Randy are here for a minisode about minisodes. Specifically, the seven Bluey minisodes that dropped in July 2024! They work together to rank the episodes and explore how they reflect what the Media/Lit crew values in their Bluey content. Things get a bit chaotic over some big discrepancies in the host rankings, but Randy ends up singing "It's Raining Tacos" before the dust s...

Randy and Kris are joined by Abby Greiner, a lover of fandoms, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and a crafter of artisanal dragon eggs! Abby is here to chat about formative fantasy property The Dark Crystal (1982), a film that has left a profound mark on her style, interests, and hobbies. The guys also weigh in with their thoughts after watching this classic for the very first time....

Randy and Kris bring you Media/Lit's first ever television draft ! For this very special occasion, they've assembled a team of peers for the cause: playwright Neil Martin, writer Maria Giddings (Twitter: @DreadandDonuts ), and English teacher Stevie Miles Gonzalez (Instagram: steviemileswords) to recreate the vibe of Nick at Nite's Block Party Summer and draft their favorite TV classic...

Randy and Kris are joined by prolific podcaster and master of cosplay, the one and only Amanda Rivas ! Amanda visits the show to chat about The Crow (1994), a film that has left a profound mark on her values, style, and relationships. The guys also weigh in with their personal connections to the film.  After Randy takes some time to help his two buddies bond over their shared love for costumes and...

Randy convenes the team for an emergency New to Who minisode to confront Kris for going off script and watching Ncuti Gatwa's premiere episode: "The Church On Ruby Road." Fortunately, Randy is quick to forgive and the duo chat a bit about the nature of a good Doctor Who companion. Finally, Randy asks Kris to watch a pivotal moment from The Sarah Jane Adventures and theorizes about ho...

Welcome to the second installment of New to Who : a recurring series in which Randy, a proud Whovian, guides Kris through his VERY FIRST experience watching Doctor Who ! In this episode, Randy and Kris travel back to the Tennant era for "Blink" (3.10) - possibly the most popular standalone episode of New Who. At the very least, it is one of the episodes most commonly suggested to up-and-...

Kris and Randy “assemble” for a minisode to acknowledge the “one blip” anniversary of Avengers: Endgame (2019). They count down their favorite emotional moments from the film after five years of reflection and several waves of new Marvel content. Ultimately, the hosts determine that this film is more than a collection of quips and flashy set pieces - it’s a treatise on healing. Please enjoy this e...