T minus 20

Group sex and drug use, it's all in days work when you're running for governor of California. That's exactly what happened to Arnold Schwarzenegger this time 20 years ago when his opponents did some muckraking as part of their campaign efforts.  In other news religion rallied against a sports bar in Iowa because they chose to use the most famous of all virgins as their name sake. Ha...

It's the kiss that MTV pinned a bazillion promos on and it happened this week in 2003. The VMAs opened with Britney, Christina Aguilera and the undisputed queen of pop herself, Madonna. What was to follow was a tiny kiss on the lips that set tabloids and forums ablaze. Well played MTV. Also... On August 28, 2003, Brian Douglas Wells entered a PNC Bank branch with a bomb strapped around his ne...

This week 20 years ago One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson is sentenced to three years in the slammer for electoral fraud. The right wing populist politician allegedly breached electoral laws by falsely registering the party and providing false documentation. We discuss the finer points of the case and also offer some team building advice that may have prevented the party from imploding at the time. ...

The summer of 2003 was bleak in Europe with a heatwave that resulted in the deaths of thousands. Most facilities across the continent were simply not equipped with central air conditioning and local authorities were fatally underprepared for the crisis as the hottest temperatures since 1540 were recorded.  There was a massive blackout in the United States which threw New York City into chaos for s...

Arnold Schwarzenegger ends months of speculation by announcing live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that he is running for Governor of California. That's right folks, this time 20 years ago the Terminator decided to have a crack at being the Legislator as part of a recall election that would see Governor Gray Davis removed from office.  We also investigate the origins of Blu Cantrell, real...

It's a dawn of a new age this week as we mark our 100th episode.  We send off the Volkswagen Beetle and MySpace heralds the rise of social media. Who was in your top 8? Also, top points to whoever in the marketing department was able to turn the story of a vehicle commissioned by the Furher into into a symbol for peace, love and freedom! Lance Armstrong quite literally cuts corners in Le Tour...

A major development in the Iraq war this week with Uday and Qusay Hussein killed by United States Special Forces during a raid in the city of Mosul Iraq. The boys had overstayed their welcome at a mate's mansion and he called in the army to evict them and collect the $30 million reward placed on their heads!  In far less exciting news unknown golfer Ben Curtis backs himself to win the British...

This time 20 years ago Valerie Plame, a CIA operative, found herself at the center of a political firestorm when her covert identity was exposed. This uncovered a complex web of deception, high-stakes politics, and blurred the lines between national security and political ambitions. It also sparked a change in career for Valerie that saw book and movie deals, speaking arrangements and ultimately a...

It's a week of science, sport and swashbuckling! Also a massive happy birthday to our North Star, Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent!  The Eupatoria Planetary Radar sends a whole bunch of our personal information into space with the intention to reach some extra terrestrial intelligence. The project was not endorsed by NASA and was entirely crowdfunded by a team of Texan businessmen, Canadian astroph...

It's a big week in sport and news and sports news with Kobe Bryant accused of rape, Chelsea FC being sold to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and SARs being declared contained by the World Health Organisation.  In technology news Tesla, the electric car company, is founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, it would be another five years before Elon Musk becomes their chairman.  In m...

We're not really giving Peas a chance when we talk this week about the release that shot The Black Eyed Peas to the top of the charts. Someone needs to discuss the Elephunk in the room.  In the news the Vivian Hailstone becomes the largest chunk of ice to fall from the sky in Vivian Nebraska, and someone thinks it's a good idea to make a daiquiri out of it. The USA open the Do Not Call R...

Hold on to your broomsticks and buckle up for a wild ride back to the captivating week of 15 June 2003. From the spellbinding world of Harry Potter to the slam-dunk victory of the San Antonio Spurs, this week was packed with surprises, triumphs, and a healthy dose of eccentricity.  In the literary realm, J.K. Rowling took the world by storm with the release of "Harry Potter and the Order of t...

The Spirit Rover was launched by NASA in 2003 as part of the Mars Exploration Rover mission. Throughout its mission, Spirit made numerous important discoveries, including evidence that Mars was once much wetter than it is today and a better understanding of Martian wind patterns! English county cricket teams introduced the first official Twenty20 matches in response to the declining popularity of...

Martha Stewart puts the craft world into a tailspin when she's charged with fraud and insider trading, putting her empire, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in peril!  Flu Mist means there's no more shots for kids who are scared of needles n the USA - just make sure you read the disclaimers.  Jewel yodels her way into our hearts, while Metallica release what has been labelled as their wors...

This week we go dark! Two terror related incidents dominate the news, including an attempted hijacking in Australia.  We discuss dead malls, the creation of Wordpress (for better or worse), Bruce Almighty, the tragedy of Finding Nemo and how the death of a band member encouraged Cedric and Omar from the Mars Volta to get clean. Plus, we look at the rise and fall of Crazy Town, who split up in 2003...

Now there is a show that didn't age well. We look at the worst faux pas that took place over all the 'cycles' of America's Next Top Model and explain why Tyra Banks deserves a gold medal for gaslighting. There is tragedy in Algeria this week 20 years ago as a magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes in the Boumerdès province that kills over 2000 people and leave hundreds of thousands h...

Yes finally those thirty something year old actors pretending to be teenagers had come of age and had to leave Dawson's Creek. We have questions... How long is too long when it comes to the friend zone? Did Dawson really have a creek named after him? And if so, how does one obtain naming rights to a creek? Unfortunately we had a couple of bad news stories with two major bombings taking place...

A breakthrough in Iraq when Saddam Hussein's top bio weapons scientist surrenders to US forces.  A massive tornado event decimates the Great Plains and Eastern USA.  And probably one of the biggest natural disasters of all time, Justin Timberlake beatboxing! LinkedIn is launched, new albums from Lamb of God, Anthrax and Jack Johnson, the XMen storm the box office, 50 Cent get's served an...

The iTunes store goes online this week putting over 200,000 songs at our fingertips, if our internet connection could handle it.  The Australian Therapeutic Goods Association issues the biggest product recall in Australian history when someone started allegedly tripping balls on Travacalm.  The Old Man of the Mountain meets a sad end as years of erosion causes his face to fall off.  Plus American...

Trigger warning! It's a week of true crime when we discuss one of the most horrendous murder cases and longest trial in the history of the state of Queensland.    50 Cent asks us 21 questions, S Club 7 split and Opeth release Damnation on us all.  Sabrina the Teenage witch calls it a day and Australia finally gets to see the infamous cheating episode of 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire&apo...

This week we're unpacking the Human Genome Project. We'll discuss the benefits and some of the ethical issues around this miracle of modern science.  This time 20 years ago also saw the arrival of the first spybot worm in cyberspace which meant no Kazaar user was safe.  Also, Michael Jordan retired, we had a tonne of new albums and movies and we celebrate the birth of one of Australia&ap...

This episide loosely brought to you by Chat GPT. After being missing for nearly five years, Natasha Ryan was found alive and well in her 26-year-old boyfriend's wardrobe in Rockhampton, Queensland. At 14, Natasha disappeared in August 1998, and her family had held a memorial service for her on her 17th birthday after police believed she had been murdered by a convicted rapist. However, the ni...

America is a country divided with fans walking out on Pearl Jam, Madonna censoring her 'American Life' video and George W dropping his infamous 'Mission Accomplished' speech while everyone asks 'too soon?'.  We find out why you should never get a Ned Kelly tattoo.  In sport England demolishes Ireland in the rigby Six Nations.  Wet lips is apparently all the rage with...

Acts of terrorism, a pandemic and a war this week 20 years ago. It's a bad news trifecta! We also break down the friendly fire incident that took place on March 28 2003 in Iraq. An incident that saw the USA's 190th Fighter Squadron accidentally open fire on the United Kingdom's Household Cavalry.  We get to play Roxette again and Michael Moore offends the academy at the Oscars. We h...

The main headline across the world this week 20 years ago was the Iraq War. George W Bush gives a defiant Saddam Hussein an ultimatum that he pretty much ignores, which leads to the catch cry "America let's roll!"  There were a few album releases including one from Biohazard, which is kind of appropriate given the circumstances.  Can you believe it’s Razzies time again?  And 2003s a...