From The Cheap Seats

Many people forget that the 9-11 attacks also involved the Pentagon, which for decades, was the largest office building in the world and is still a symbol of US military power since World War 2. My guest, Joe Duffus, has been a frequent guest on this podcast. In 2001, we and several others shared an office in the tallest building in Northern Virginia (only a mile and a half from the Pentagon and j...

On the 22nd anniversary of the US’ greatest foreign attack since Pearl Harbor, we look back. Part 1 focuses on the World Trade Center attacks. Joined by seasoned guests – the New Yorker brothers Jason and Rob (famous for our 7/4 Nathan’s Hot Dog episode) – we dive deep into their experiences on the day itself and – then flash forward - what New Yorkers feel about the event today…over 2 decades lat...

2023 has been a year of record-breaking heat waves, drought-related wild fires, and floods. And new hurricanes are on the way! We haven’t had time to cover this year’s climatic events directly but we thought it would be a good idea to replay this episode from last summer about HURRICANE SANDY on her 10th Anniversary. The original description -- While pools, beaches, and outdoor BBQs are memorable...

The new movie about the ‘Father of the Atom Bomb’, “OPPENHEIMER” is a huge critical success and performing far beyond box office expectations. It was released to coincide with some very grim anniversaries, including the 78th anniversary of the destruction of the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Was dropping these first bombs the only way to end World War II? Why did Oppenheimer and other bomb...

On July 26, 2023 a Congressional Oversight Committee held a hearing with 3 WHISTLEBLOWERS, all retired military officers, on the existence of UFOs and what the U.S. government is hiding from us. Recently, what had previously been called UFOs has been rebranded as UAPs, “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena”. We replay our hilarious and informative UFO Episode from last summer. Founding co-host, Kassia...

(It’s actually men AND women in black, I was just going with the popular movie franchise name for SEO.) The Supreme Court’s relatively new “CONSERVATIVE SUPER MAJORITY” continues its efforts to overturn 60+ years of - what they consider - liberal leaning judicial rulings. Depending on how you self-identify politically, you may be happy or sad with the way things are going. “Scandel Sheet” merely o...

What could be more American than a juicy, delicious hot dog? … what about 76 of them one after another? We fire up the grill on NATHAN’S FAMOUS HOT DOG EATING CONTEST, held annually every July 4th and broadcast on ESPN. Often called the super bowl of competitive eating, this tournament attracts the leading eaters from around the world. But is it really a sport? And are the participants really athl...

We welcome our guest Dylan Cuellar, who has two podcasts of his own (links below). In many circles he is acknowledged as a talented, rising young commentator on literature, movies, and media (he is still only in his 20’s!). We were lucky to grab him for a few minutes to share his amazing insights on ‘Zombies’ across pop culture and what they represent for us today. Dylan’s podcasts: Uburied Books:...

If you thought the zombie genre had finally faded away, you were mistaken. The recent giant success of the HBO series, “The Last of Us” (40M viewers/episode in US alone) demonstrates the zombie franchise is as strong as ever. Ellie, Thad, and Bernice take giant bites into the intestines of the bizarre global obsession with these undead cannibals and what accounts for their astonishing longevity in...

Strap in for a creepy and very funny cold open for our new episode that examines everything Zombie. Fans of the pod will recognize Scandal Sheet co-founder, Kassia, making a cameo appearance. Stay tuned for the full episode next week, with regular co-host Ellie, where we dive deep into all aspects of the genre and the global obsession with “Zombies”.

Each year, thousands of men and women people from around the globe flock to the Himalaya and the Karakoram in order to climb the world’s tallest mountains. Despite being aware of a fatality rate as high as 29% (depending on the mountain), amateur climbers are willing to hand over $65K-$150K to “professional” guiding services to hopefully get them to the summit and back in one piece. While storms a...

Each year, thousands of men and women people from around the globe flock to the Himalaya and the Karakoram in order to climb the world’s tallest mountains. Despite being aware of a fatality rate as high as 29% (depending on the mountain), amateur climbers are willing to hand over $65K-$150K to “professional” guiding services to hopefully get them to the summit and back in one piece. While storms a...

Continuing on our baseball theme – here is a replay of an audience fav from 2021 featuring series co-founder, Kassia. One of the greatest sports conspiracies in history! 8 key players of the White Sox, including the legendary ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson, deliberately throw the championship in exchange for Mob bribes. Your fearless hosts take you deep behind this ambitious treachery. Was Shoeless Joe re...

NYC’s favorite baseball commentators are back to prognosticate about the new season, help us understand the flurry of new MLB rules, and cause tears of laughter among listeners. Pour yourself a cold beer, grab a hot dog, retract your tray table – and buckle up for fun! Check out the video version of this episode on the Thad Halcli Media You Tube channel: https://youtu.be/heakv3fDPcc Hilarious!!! I...

As a warm-up to Major League Baseball’s OPENING DAY we wanted to re-share this extremely popular 2 part cold open from last year. Remember last year (2022) at this time? The baseball owners had “locked out” the players from all parks and negotiations on a new labor contract had reached a standstill. Our frequent guests, the beloved New York City trio – the METS MOB – were forced to take matters in...

It’s Girl Scout Cookie Season. And your friends at “Scandal Sheet” are shining their investigative flashlight on America’s most beloved “non-profit” sales event. Our co-host ELLIE, a Girl Scout from Kindergarten to High School senior, rose to the highest rank in the GSA organization. Now a millennial young woman, Ellie looks back at her decade+ experiences and shares a CANDID insider view on the 3...

You know what I’m talking about. It’s Girl Scout Cookie Season. And your friends at “Scandal Sheet” can’t avoid shining their investigative flashlight on America’s most beloved sales/marketing institution. Here is a quick “taste” of the episode to come as we share our cold open. Stay tuned for the full episode coming soon!

A deliciously sappy and romantic movie from 1943? It unexpectedly, became very popular, made boatloads of money, and won multiple Academy Awards. One of the hundreds of undistinguished movies the Hollywood factories churned out each year -- so why do we still remember this one? Clever pro-war propaganda in an isolationist US? Celebration of female prostitution? Civil rights ground-breaker? Ironic,...

Most of what you heard from the mainstream media on the Airline Meltdown is total BS! Our co-host, Ellie, a pilot for a major commercial airline, shares the REAL STORY behind what actually happened. First with the massive winter storm over Christmas week and second, when the FAA computers shut down all traffic. Our music is composed, preformed, and produced by John Hoekstra. youtube.com/channel/UC...

Your favorite founding co-host for both the “From The Cheap Seats” and “Scandal Sheet”podcasts – KASSIA - has started a new podcast called “Unburied Books”. We are sharing one episode with you here. Kassia and her co-host Dylan were featured on an episode about author Kurt Vonnegut on Scandal Sheet we did last year. That turned out to be one of our most popular episodes in 2022. Kassia and Dylan’s...

Our listeners’ favorite clips from the year that was! Catch up on topics you may have missed and go back and listen to the full episode. Entire plant-based food episode with food expert, Susan Greeley: https://spoti.fi/3in0pPo Scandal Sheet’s co-founder, Kassia Oset, is featured and has a new podcast, “Unburied Books”, which she hosts with Dylan Cuellar. Find it on Apple: https://apple.co/3QnwJ0T...

Already worn down by the baking, decorating, shopping, present-wrapping, and the permanent grimace of around-the-clock merriment? Well, your friends from your favorite pod are here to help. Listen my children and you will hear of the 12 best scandals of 2022! Believe it or not, a celebrity is not immune from misery. Their troubles are likely far worse than yours (and more $$$) and hearing about th...

Ernest Hemingway, many scholars say, was the greatest American author of the 20th century. Were you forced to read this author in high school? Did you love or hate that assignment? (BTW- I hated him at age 17). But who was this guy actually? He was awarded both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes, a very rare two-fer for any author. In both his books and personal life, he often appeared to cultivate a h...

Join several of our regular guests and contributors for this Thanksgiving Day quiz show. It’s both fun AND educational. We cover the Mayflower voyage, the Pilgrims at Plymouth, their indigenous neighbors, the first Thanksgiving harvest celebration (which - spoiler - participants at the time didn’t believe was such a big deal), the Macy’s Day Parade, and the current American holiday menu. Try to gu...

Doctors are telling everyone to reduce their animal product intake. But can any omnivore resist a juicy burger? Big Science has given us a solution. Plant-based facsimiles of beef, pork and chicken have become a multi-billion dollar industry. Legit? Your hosts drill deep with food expert, author, and television personality, SUSAN GREELEY. Both informative and entertaining – you’ll fall in love wit...