This Year Collection

We recap the finest podcasts, bringing you the best highlights from great humor to insightful commentary.

[thisyearcollection]

#55: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! (2011)

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is NPR's weekly hour-long quiz program. Each week listeners test their knowledge against some of the best and brightest comedians and commentators in the news and entertainment world while figuring out what's real news and what's made up. Entertaining as well as informative, public radio comedy doesn't get any better than this. (Adapted from Wait Wait's official website.)

Starring: Peter Sagal and Carl Kasell

Guests: Roy Blount, Jr., Alonzo Bodden, Tom Bodett, Luke Burbank, Korva Coleman, Maz Jobrani, Jesse Klein, Kyrie O'Connor, Charlie Pierce, Paula Poundstone, Roxanne Roberts, PJ O'Rourke, Faith Salie and Peter Gross

Special guests: Jason Bateman, Rosanne Cash, Bill Clinton, Tavi Gevinson, Gary Johnson, John Leguizamo, David Simon and Tony Siragusa

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download (4h 40m)

[thisyearcollection]

#54: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (2006)

Standing as the longest running and most successful science podcast, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe balances informative and fresh discussion with a lighthearted, conversational rapport between its six panelists. Helmed by neurologist Dr. Steven Novella, and starring his brothers Bob and Jay, Perry DeAngelis, Rebecca Watson, and Evan Bernstein, The Skeptics' Guide ranks not only as one of the best podcasts available, but also as one of the most important, confronting a world teeming with fanatics and frauds.

Starring: Steven Novella, Bob Novella, Jay Novella, Perry DeAngelis, Rebecca Watson, and Evan Bernstein

Special guests: Neal Adams, Terrence Hines, Phil Plait, Gerald Posner, James Randi, Steve Salerno and Brian Trent

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download (10 h) [For part two, visit our website.]

[thisyearcollection]

#53: Too Beautiful to Live (Second Quarter 2008)

Too Beautiful to Live is the ultimate foray into pop culture—a blithe examination of what’s awesome and what isn’t, what’s in and out, what matters and what doesn’t, and what stands as the gem-iest web gem. In between analyzing important matters like MTV’s Rock the Cradle, My Super Sweet 16, R. Kelly’s trial, Ross Dress for Less and the song of the summer, hosts Luke Burbank and Jen Andrews candidly discuss their own lives. Something between ‘a show about nothing,’ and ‘the voice of American hipster zeitgeist,’ TBTL is funny, endearing, and beloved: a show that will never leave your heart and mind upon getting its foot in the door.

Starring: Luke Burbank, Jen Andrews and Sean DeTore

Guests: Jason Andrews, Jamie Griswold, Nick Larzalere, Darby Reed, Vanessa Romo and Addie Sandstrom

Special guests: Kristi Coombs, Sloane Crosley, Stacey St Clair, Jane Straus and Katie Spranger

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download (18h 07m) [For parts two and three, visit our website.]

[thisyearcollection]

Coming soon... make it fine with forty-nine.

[thisyearcollection]

#52: This American Life (51 to 75)

Here’s what This American Life is not: it’s not a news show or a talk show or a call-in show. It’s not formatted like other radio shows. Each episode has a theme, and there are a variety of productions on that theme. There are people in dramatic situations. Things happen to them. There are funny moments and emotional moments and—hopefully—moments where the people in the story say interesting, surprising things about it all. It has to be surprising. It has to be fun. (Adapted from the official This American Life about page.)

Starring: Ira Glass

Guests: Jay Allison, Ron Carlson, Scott Carrier, Jack Hitt, Pete Jordan, Bia Lowe, David Sedaris, Lauren Slater, Nancy Updike, Cecilia Vaisman, Christina Egloff

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download (3h 38m/86h 86m)

[thisyearcollection]

#51: Loveline (2001-Q4)

Few syndicated radio shows have permeated popular culture and achieved as great a standing as Loveline. Launched in 1983 and still running today, Loveline likely ranks as the foremost sexual health and relationship advice show. The show ballooned in popularity between 1996 and 2005 when it was hosted by Adam Carolla and Drew Pinsky, comedian and board certified physician respectively. Loveline’s ability to be comedic, somber, and at times touching made it some of the most striking radio on air, and even its oldest episodes remain remarkable today.

Starring: Adam Carolla, Drew Pinsky

Guests: Jim Adkins, Shiri Appleby, Patricia Arquette, Jay Baruchel, Angelica Bridges, Stephen Carpenter, Mike Cosgrove, Anderson Cowan, Majandra Delfino, Marc DeLeon, Tim Fluckey, Louis Freese, Carla Gallo, David Alan Grier, Steve Harwell, Fran Healy, Chris Hesse, Ron Jeremy, Kandace Krueger, Cedric LeMoyne, Tom Linton, Jena Malone, Dryden Mitchell, Kelly Monaco, Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, Dougie Payne, Jeremy Popoff, Mike Ransom, Doug Robb, Seth Rogan, Allen Shellenberger, Gregory Slay, Cinjun Tate, Christopher Titus, Aisha Tyler, Lisa Ann Walter, Rob Zombie

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download (6h 10m/86h 86m)

[thisyearcollection]

Here's the rundown for our Blue Jam best-of with my annotations. You can see the sketches and songs we cut out, and I've also marked the ones I moved around to give the program that seamless feel. I think these are considered to be the definitive names for the sketches, and the title and artist for each song is also noted.

[thisyearcollection]

#50: Blue Jam (Series 1)

Blue Jam is a nightmare that seems to have no end. The series was the brainchild of subversive British comedian Chris Morris. Morris mixed ambient music, haunting monologues, bleak black comedy sketches, and other bizarre sounds to make a lingering sound-scape that sticks with you days and weeks after listening. The first series of Blue Jam was aired in 1997, played in the early morning on BBC Radio 1. One segment was deemed so offensive that it was hurriedly cut off mid-broadcast. Blue Jam is troubling. Blue Jam is disturbing. Blue Jam is unlike anything you’ll ever hear—a dark descent into something totally oppressive and undeniably wonderful.

Starring: Chris Morris

Guests: Amelia Bullmore, David Cann, Julia Davis, Kevin Eldon, Mark Heap

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download (3hrs 12min)

[jeffgerstmann]

Turn on TV.

See Vickie Guerrero and Paul Heyman walking down the ramp, arm-in-arm.

Turn off TV. 

This has been your “oh, hey, I wonder if wrestling is still unwatchable” checkup for January 21, 2013.

[thisyearcollection]

Ryan Davis' review of a Mongolian restaurant on Yelp

Here's a sampling of Ryan's seven-paragraph review of Fuji Japanese and Mongolian Barbeque, located on N McDowell Boulevard, Petaluma. This was discussed in the latest Giant Bombcast.

I should preface this review by stating that I freaking *love* Mongolian BBQ. Growing up, trips to the Ghenghis Khan in Coddingtown were always a special occasion, and I was simply beside myself when I learned that Fuji--a sushi restaurant that, in my experience, had always been serviceable--was bringing the format to Petaluma. The beauty of Mongolian BBQ, from both the proprietor and the customer perspective, is that it's pretty hard to screw up. The customer throws a bunch of thin-sliced meat, veggies, and sauce into a bowl, a grill-man toss it on a hot grill for a couple minutes, and then you're on your way. And if that combination didn't really work for you? Well, there's always the next bowl to try again.

...

You'd think service in a buffet-style setting wouldn't be an issue, except that, rather than leave a stack of bowls next to the buffet counter, Fuji has the waitresses (never seen a male waitperson here) bring the bowls to the customers' tables one at a time. It's counter-intuitive to the Mongolian BBQ experiences I've had, though it wouldn't be an issue with an attentive waitstaff. ... As much as I enjoy the actual food here, and find the place to generally be a pretty great value, I've always left feeling like I've spent too much of my visit struggling against the service. So Fuji Mongolian BBQ, you're on notice: either fire your waitstaff and replace them people interested in customer service, or give the customers direct access to bowls and rice. These might seem like simple requests, and minor things to penalize a restaurant over, but when bowls and rice are pretty much the only things the waitstaff is responsible for, it comes off as a pretty significant failing.

Read the full review here.

[thisyearcollection]

Visit Original Link

Here's the full Christmas-themed rap by Jimmy Kimmel that was played on today's episode of The Adam Carolla Show. Kimmel is doing an impression of Snoop Dogg. The track is off "Kevin and Bean's Christmastime in the LBC," a Christmas album released by KROQ.

[thisyearcollection]

Here is the Japanese Dreamcast box art Jeff Gerstmann was referring to in today's episode of the Giant Bombcast.

[thisyearcollection]

#49: On the Media (2012)

While maintaining the civility and fairness that are the hallmarks of public radio, On the Media tackles sticky issues with a frankness and transparency that has built trust with listeners and led to more than a tripling of its audience in five years. The magazine-style show examines all aspects of the media, from production to reportage, always with a critical and insightful eye. On the Media rates not only as one of the most interesting public radio shows but also as one of the most important shows currently on air. (Description adapted from On the Media’s ‘about’ page.)

Starring: Bob Garfield, Brooke Gladstone Guests: Joe Adalian, Phoebe Ayers, Brad Bell, Tom Bissell, Bohus Blahut, Dylan Byers, Kathleen Carroll, Michael Dennis, Jane Espenson, John Fahey, James Fallows, Sara Fishko, Paul Ford, Stephen Gandel, Joe Garden, Jeremy Goldkorn, Alex Goldman, Glenn Greenwald, Blaine Harden, Paul Heald, Michael Idov, Mathew Ingram, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Fred Limp, David Lyle, Barry C. Lynn, Peter Kafka, Fred Kaplan, Walter Kirn, Steven Levy, Emily McCombs, Timothy Messer-Kruse, Laura Miller, David Morrison, Seth Mnookin, B.R. Myers, Sahil Patel, Nikolaus Peifer, Mike Pesca, Marc Randazza, Alyssa Rosenberg, Lisa Rosenberg, Michael Shatzkin, Clay Shirky, John Sides, Nate Silver, Gareth Sundem, John Sununu, Jake Tapper, Trevor Timm, Dave Weigel, Christopher Werth, Randall White, Cody Wilson, Adam Winkler, Jillian York, Jonathan Zittrain For more information, see the original post on our website! Download (6hrs 36min)

[thisyearcollection]

#48: Left, Right & Center (2012)

Where other political podcasts rely on demagogues to espouse their trite positions, Left, Right & Center does precisely the opposite. Selecting fresh thinkers from across the political spectrum, thinkers not pigeonholed into a tired system of beliefs, and moderated by centrist Matt Miller, the weekly roundtable debate on the important issues that shape the world is thought provoking, challenging, and always engaging.

Starring:  Matt Miller, Robert Scheer, Chrystia Freeland, Matthew Continetti, David Frum

Guests: Tony Blankley, John Eastman, Arianna Huffington, Mary Matalin, Judy Muller, Warren Olney, Mike Pesca, Eliot Spitzer, Michael Steele, Shawn Steel, Joshua Trevino, Laura Tyson, Luigi Zingales

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download (5hrs 14min)

[thisyearcollection]

#47: Uhh Yeah Dude (2012)

This is a podcast where two American Americans save America from herself. Seth Romatelli and Jonathan Larroquette round up the week's issues, providing a forum for society to engage the most critical and divisive issues. Men get duped into DUIs by attractive undercover female cops. Michael Masden's poetry gets read. A grandmother sues Apple after she walks into an Apple Store's glass door. Samsung equips its televisions with cameras. Derek Jeter gives gift baskets full of signed baseballs and candy to women he's spent the night with. Stephen Tyler appears on Oprah. Uhh Yeah Dude is social commentary at its finest.

Starring: Seth Romatelli and Jonathan Larroquette

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download (4hrs 40min)

[thisyearcollection]

Hardcore Vinny, from today's I Love Mondays.

[thisyearcollection]

#46: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (2012)

Standing as the longest running and most successful science podcast, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe balances informative and fresh discussion with a lighthearted, conversational rapport between its five panelists. What are numbers stations? Can neutrinos go faster than light? What's up with the ghost box? Are we living in a simulated universe? Why would a man eat another man's face? Steve, Bob, Jay, Rebecca and Evan address all these pertinent questions with aplomb. The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is one of the most important podcasts there is, a bold confrontation of a world teeming with fanatics and frauds.

Starring: Steven Novella, Bob Novella, Jay Novella, Rebecca Watson, and Evan Bernstein

Guests: Joshie Berger, Deborah Feldman, George Hrab, Phil Plait, James Randi, Martin Rundkvist, Richard Saunders, Seth Shostak, and Brian Wecht

For more information, see the original post on our website!

Download Part 1 (4hrs 3min)

Download Part 2 (5hrs 37 min)