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Episode 177

The Paunch Stevenson Show episode 177

In this episode:

  • our trip to Barcade in Jersey City, NJ (microbrew beers and 1970s-1980s classic video arcade games),
  • Barcade running on 100% wind power,
  • Rob’s dream about “Macho Man” Randy Savage,
  • the 2011 ThunderCats cartoon show,
  • Larry Kenney vs. Will Friedle as the voice of Lion-O,
  • John Erwin as the voice of Prince Adam and He-Man,
  • Greg’s movie review of The A-Team (2010),
  • Paunch Stevenson Show celebrity encounters,
  • Greg meeting Tom Wopat (Luke Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard),
  • John Schneider and Tom Wopat on Smallville,
  • Greg meeting Jeff Bridges (Barney Cousins from The Vanishing),
  • celebrity deaths (Christopher Mayer from The Dukes of Hazzard and Bubba Smith),
  • the 2011 season of Curb Your Enthusiasm finally taking place in NYC,
  • our future children missing out on pop culture from the past,
  • important pop culture getting lost in time (CHiPs, the Marx Brothers, The Little Rascals, Droopy, The Ant and the Aardvark, etc.),
  • the upcoming Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood spin-off Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,
  • Jonah Hill’s weight loss,
  • Mike Masse’s music video for “Long Time” (acoustic Boston cover),
  • the decline of music videos,
  • Rob constantly hearing people whistle Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” in England,
  • Rob’s 4D movie experience,
  • and Tom Wopat’s music vs. Jeff Bridges’s music.

We also snapped some photos of Barcade Jersey City:
Flickr – Barcade, Jersey City, NJ 8/20/11
Barcade Jersey City

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81 minute MP3 file – 37.1 MB (right-click to save)

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Review of Jeff Bridges’ New Album

So the great Jeff “It’s Me Barney” Bridges just released his second musical album Jeff Bridges, first since 2000’s Be Here Soon. This new album is sort of a continuation of Jeff’s work in the film Crazy Heart (2009), about a down and out country singer. He worked with highly successful producer T-Bone Burnett on the album. This album is definitely country, but it’s old school country, which is why the country music press hated it! I personally hate newer country, essentially everything made from Billy Ray Cyrus onwards. Anyway, Rolling Stone Magazine gave it 3 out of 5, which I’d probably agree with. Several of the songs were just way too slow and bogged down, although a few were very good, and one is now stuck in my damn head! Here’s a quick rundown of the tracks in the CD I got, with 2 Barnes & Noble bonus tracks:

  • What a Little Bit of Love Can Do -> The signature track, very catchy, Bridges voice actually works quite well with this song.
  • Falling Short -> This is a strange one, seems to go nowhere.
  • Everything But Love -> Folksy, very pleasant.
  • Tumbling Vine -> Like track 2, written by Jeff Bridges, in the tone of “The Dude,” and highly psychedelic.
  • Nothing Yet -> Another slow one, put me to sleep.
  • Blue Car -> A nice poppy folk song with a easy beat (though slow).
  • Maybe I Missed the Point -> Easily my favorite track, and now stuck in my head. Wish he did the whole album like this.
  • Slow Boat -> Spoken word? Why?
  • Either Way -> Dullish love song.
  • The Quest -> Old school country song.
  • I Will Wait -> First B&N exclusive bonus, modest.
  • Shotgun Bride -> Second B&N exclusive bonus, kind of falls off the cliff.
  • Drag Me To The Party -> Amazon MP3 exclusive, more odd spoken words.

Oh, and surprise, I got to meet Jeff Bridges at the Fifth Avenue Barnes & Noble in New York! Here’s his signed CD cover and my picture just before getting it signed. We’ll talk about the encounter in Episode 177.

Jeff Bridges Signed CD
Jeff Bridges Signed CD
Greg meets Jeff Bridges
Greg meets Jeff Bridges
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Episode 176

The Paunch Stevenson Show episode 176

In this episode:

  • Our ideas for re-dubbing the latest Michael Bay Transformers movie,
  • the Rupert Murdoch UK phone hacking scandal,
  • undercover sleuth work by Hugh Grant,
  • Norm MacDonald announcing the O.J. Simpson verdict on Saturday Night Live,
  • cracking passwords using social engineering,
  • the “Ralphige” real Michael Jackson prank call (link),
  • a fifth child on the way for Kevin ‘K-Fed’ Federline,
  • the arrest of former informercial star Don Lapre,
  • Tony Little HoMedics Micropedic Sleep Pillows,
  • Ted Danson to star on the next season of CSI,
  • Barney Miller,
  • return of Curb Your Enthusiasm,
  • why the Golden Girls is still funny (video),
  • US Marines asking Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake on dates,
  • Rob’s failure to book Tami Erin, star of The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988) on the show,
  • emulating classic PC games using DOSBOX,
  • downfall of modern gaming franchises and developers (Hitman, Max Payne, Project Gotham, LucasArts),
  • Copyright Alert System,
  • and a celebrity death (Roberts Blossom).

Download this episode:
84.5 minute MP3 file – 38.6 MB (right-click to save)

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Episode 175

The Paunch Stevenson Show episode 175

In this episode:

  • our giant movie review of Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) in 3D, starring Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley,
  • the ridiculous length of the movie,
  • the end of the shaky camera fad,
  • a list of movies and TV shows Michael Bay ripped off (The Transformers, Superman, The Watchmen, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Jackie Chan’s Who Am I?),
  • illogical Duracell battery pricing at Staples,
  • our roll call of robots in the movie (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet, Sentinal Prime, Starscream, Megatron, Shockwave, Soundwave, and dozens of unnamed robots),
  • Sentinal Prime’s face modeled after Sean Connery,
  • Bay’s horrendous computer animated version of John F. Kennedy,
  • Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) constantly screaming and crying,
  • Bay’s terrible Barack Obama impersonator,
  • Sam spending an hour going on job interviews,
  • Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Sentinal Prime and Galvatron,
  • various plot holes,
  • Optimus Prime actually wondering where his trailer went in the movie,
  • robots who were killed in the movie (the unnamed Scottish Autobot, Ironhide, Megatron, Starscream, the unnamed Decepticon bird, etc.),
  • our welcoming of the inevitable Transformers movie reboot,
  • Transformers spitting,
  • Michael Bay turning Optimus Prime into a ruthless murderer,
  • Peter Cullen and Frank Welker’s voice acting,
  • Shia LaBeouf’s recent acting career (Eagle Eye and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps),
  • Bay’s constant use of slow motion,
  • billions of dollars worth of damage in action movies with no consequences,
  • hacking into objects,
  • Bay’s ignorance of science,
  • the lack of rules and continuity in Bay’s Transformers movies,
  • What Ever Happened To? (Bugle Boy jeans, Z. Cavaricci genie pants, Zubaz, IOU sweatshirts, B.U.M. Equipment, etc.),
  • Roseanne Barr’s reality show Roseanne’s Nuts on Lifetime,
  • a Transformers: Dark of the Moon cameo by Scott Krinsky from Chuck,
  • Bay’s completely wasted use of 3D,
  • fans feeling obligated to watch bad movies,
  • Glynn Turman appearing in Super 8 (2011) and Gremlins (1984),
  • Sean Connery’s brother Neil Connery starring in bad movies: OK Connery (1967) and The Body Stealers (1969),
  • celebrity deaths (Peter Falk and Sherwood Schwartz),
  • Paul Reiser and The Paunch Stevenson Show episode 2,
  • and a new stupid style (extremely short cutoff shorts with dangling pockets).

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84 minute MP3 file – 38.6 MB (right-click to save)

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Episode 174

The Paunch Stevenson Show episode 174

In this episode:

  • Bill Murray sings “Star Wars,”
  • lack of progress on Star Wars live action TV series,
  • another incomplete George Lucas film: Red Tails (2012),
  • Steven Spielberg will no longer modify his classic films,
  • Kevin Smith’s new comic book collector reality show,
  • get rich quick (nutty video game collector reality show),
  • better late than never movie reviews: Resident Evil Afterlife (2010) starring Milla Jovovich and Inception (2010) starring Leonardo DiCaprio,
  • new TNT series Falling Skies starring Noah Wyle,
  • another bad remake: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011),
  • Phil Hartman’s Soylent Green impression,
  • floating swimming pools on the East River,
  • getting a letter from After Dark Films,
  • and celebrity deaths (Ryan Dunn and Clarence Clemons).

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73.5 minute MP3 file – 33.7 MB (right-click to save)

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