Prepopculture

Mark David Christenson joins Jen to talk about creative labors of love that are given away for free. From the indie improv show they host together, to their individual podcasts, to their respective paths in acting and writing, Dave and Jen are no strangers to doing something they love without a direct agenda other than the love of the craft. But how does giving something away for free affect other people's perception of the product and creator? What really defines a labor of love? And how many times can Dave say "butthurt" without Jen giggling at it? If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! You can also follow PrePopCulture on Twitter. Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow Dave on Twitter and see his Harold team Mister Town City at UCB LA. Check out Dave's podcast One Photo Reviews Our indie improv show, The Manifesto Show, Fridays at 8pm at the Clubhouse in LA. Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licensed under

Darien Clark joins Jen to talk about Lulu, an app only accessible to girls which lets them anonymously rate the dateability of their male Facebook friends. Concerned about what Lulu's success potentially says regarding the attitudes toward dating amongst the college-aged girls it targets, Darien and Jen break the app down step-by-step and go through the process of rating a guy on it in order to see if there's anything about it they aren't grossed out by. Spoiler alert: there's not. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow Darien on Twitter and check out her baking blog Cake Walkthrough. She really is a shoo-in for the 5th Annual Good Food Pie Contest! Lulu Lulu Dude, where guys can see their profiles and remove themselves from the app if they wish Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharin

Professional photographers Clay Larsen and Jon Mackey join Jen to talk about today's perceptions of photography. From the way technology and Instagram have affected how people view their own ability to take photos, to what now defines photojournalism, to the sometimes diluted definition of a "good" or "artistic" photo, the medium is at a much different place than it was even ten years ago. But no matter what lens you view it through, one thing is indisputable: don't have your friend take your headshot for free. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show notes: Follow Clay and Jon on Twitter and check out their photography at claylarsen.com and itsjonmackey.com. You can also check out Clay's indie improv show Shapeshift and his UCB Beta team Muddleberry, and see Jon on Harold team Winslow at Upright Citizens Brigade on Monday nights. Instagram Check out SunTimes/DarkTimes to see compari

James Mulholland joins Jen to discuss another franchise she's experiencing for the first time despite its pervasive presence in pop culture: the Terminator movies. From the franchise's own internal universe to its place in the canon of modern science fiction, there's a lot about The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day that is vastly different when viewed for the first time as an adult. Though no matter when you watch these movies, that orderly licking Sarah Connor's face will always be creepy. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: You can follow James on Twitter, but he doesn't necessarily advise it since he rarely tweets The Terminator Terminator 2: Judgment Day And if you want to know more about the Terminator universe, check out the Terminator wiki for info on other movies, TV, games, and even fan fiction Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licensed under a Creative C

Danny Mastrangelo and Andrew Wollman join Jen to talk about this week's exciting news for Doctor Who fans, the announcement of the Twelfth Doctor. They discuss what they think of the choice of Peter Capaldi, where the show might be headed with him as the Doctor, and how regenerations affect fans in general, which is quite different from Doctor to Doctor. Just ignore anything Danny and Andrew say about Jen and Bernard Cribbins. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show notes: Follow Danny and Andrew on Twitter. You can check out Danny's video game development site Silhouette Games and see his Harold team Harbinger at iO West on Tuesdays at 8pm. You can check out Andrew's tumblr and see him in Doctor Who Live! at iO West at 10:30pm on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. On 8/10/13, Jen will be playing with Doctor Who Live! as well! The official Doctor Who site, which has infor

George Ouzounian joins Jen this week to talk about cord-cutting, the trend of cutting cable TV service. With alternatives running the gamut from antennas that receive broadcast networks, to streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, to the availability of nearly any show for those willing to turn to piracy, it hardly seems worth it anymore to put up with the expense and customer service nightmares that have become synonymous with cable providers. George and Jen delve into these alternatives and what, if anything, you might be missing by moving away from traditional cable. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow George on Twitter and see him in see him in the Tournament of Nerds at Upright Citizens Brigade A comprehensive starter guide to cord-cutting Streaming services Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, and Netflix Set top boxes Apple TV and Ro

Art Tebbel returns to talk with Jen about what some cartoonists have acknowledged as the last great comic strip: Calvin and Hobbes. Whether having read it in the collected volumes, day to day in the paper, or both, it seems to be one of those very rare things that is loved by everybody who experiences it. From Calvin's alter egos, to whether or not Hobbes really is real, to the last strip, to how much fans are saddened by the lack of a Hobbes doll for kids (or let's face it, many adults) to cuddle at night, to what would make for the best Calvin and Hobbes tattoo, Art and Jen eventually have to rein themselves in since it's obviously possible to go on about this great strip forever. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: You can follow Art on Twitter and check out Box Office Democracy as a blog and podcast Calvin and Hobbes The Complete Calvin and Hobbes box set Dear Mr. Wat

With three days in New York ahead of her, Jen decided to try a bit of what the city has to offer on as many fronts as she could. From pop culture to fine art to great food, she was never disappointed. 72 hours certainly wasn't enough to see everything she wanted to, but it was more than enough to send her back to LA with a smile and looking forward to her next visit. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: The Del Close Marathon High Line Park The Meatball Shop The Metropolitan Museum of Art Shopsins Veselka Wafels & Dinges The Way Station Music: Candlepower, The Life and Death of a Certain K. Zabriskie, Patriarch, Mario Brava Sleeps In a Little Later Than He Expected To, Out of the Skies, Under the Earth, I Need to Start Writing Things Down, Laserdisc, Androids Always Escape, Readers! Do You Read?, Virtues Inherited, Vices Passed On, and Air Hockey Saloon by Chris Zabri

Clay Larsen joins Jen to talk about the explosion of amazing board, card, and storytelling games that have fallen under the umbrella of "tabletop games" in recent years. In the interest of trying out each of these categories plus a mix of competitive versus cooperative games, they played the Game of Thrones board game, Gloom, Grit, Pandemic, Zombies!!!, Ticket to Ride, Dominion, and Fiasco. It took a total of 17 hours but they now recommend seven of the eight games they played, though they might not recommend trying to play them all on the same day. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show notes: Follow Clay on Twitter and check out his indie improv show Shapeshift, his UCB Beta team Muddleberry, and his amazing photography! Dominion Fiasco The Game of Thrones board game Gloom Grit Pandemic Ticket to Ride Zombies!!! Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licensed under a Creative Commons A

Phil Ranta joins Jen this week to talk about the world's oldest and largest high IQ society, of which he's a member! Phil details the admission testing process, some member benefits, and even talks about member meet-ups for the special interest groups within Mensa. And as you might expect in an episode that's essentially about super nerds, Dungeons & Dragons gets a little shout-out too. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show notes: Follow Phil on Twitter, and check out The Sports Sports Sports Podcast on Comedy Podcast Network and his improv group Bro Squad 5 which you can see every Saturday at 9:30pm at the Saturday Night Main Event at Second City in LA. Mensa Conversations with Mensa podcast Take a free Mensa workout test The Triple Nine Society Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) Licen

Cartoonist Katie Rice joins Jen to talk about her comics Skadi and Camp Weedonwantcha, as well as her time on Strip Search, the web comic artist reality competition produced by Penny Arcade! Katie shares the genesis of her barbarian heroine Skadi along with what it was like to work as a storyboard artist while maintaining a web comic, and talks about her experiences as part of Strip Search from auditioning all the way to developing Camp Weedonwantcha for the win. Katie also drops some cool behind the scenes tidbits, including details on an elimination comic that almost was… If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow Katie on Twitter and check out her comics Skadi and Camp Weedonwantcha! And if you missed the promo video for this episode, check out Katie and Jen going head-to-head Strip Search elimination style! Strip Search Penny Arcade Abby's Kickstarter for The Last Hal

Danny Mastrangelo returns this week to chat about all the hubbub surrounding the recent PlayStation 4 and Xbox One announcements. DRM, broadband connectivity, privacy, and price have been hot button issues for gamers when it comes to the next generation of consoles, and choices Sony and Microsoft have made about these systems have drawn some lines in the sand. Let's just say we all know who came out as player 1 by the end of E3. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow Danny on Twitter and check out his video game development site Silhouette Games and video game review site Been There, Played That. You can also see his Harold team Harbinger at iO West on Tuesdays at 8pm. Microsoft's Xbox One E3 2013 press conference Sony's PlayStation 4 E3 2013 press conference Sony's instructional video on sharing used games on PS4 And to learn more about the most recent next-gen conso

Dickie Copeland returns to chat about the expansive universe encompassing the novel Ender's Game and all of its sequels and related works, about which there are many spoilers so consider yourself warned! Though Dickie and Jen came to the series from different perspectives, they're fascinated by, fuzzy on, and horrified at the same bits, and both at least masochistic enough to wish they could play the Mind Game. But don't ask them how to pronounce Bonzo or Achilles, because they know they say them both wrong. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow Dickie on Twitter and check out her amazing poetry on her website! First Meetings in Ender's Universe Ender's Game and its original sequels Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind Ender in Exile Ender's Shadow and its sequels Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and Shadow of the Giant Shadows in Flight, th

Mark David Christenson returns to talk about stunt casting, the practice of casting very famous people in small roles for movies, TV, or theater. Entertainment today has gone a bit cameo crazy, but Jen and Dave contend stunt casting can have as much chance of hurting a project as it does of helping it. And let's face it, for every time Bill Murray pops up in something uncredited, Winona Ryder's wearing a weird space robe and sticking out like a sore thumb. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show notes: Follow Dave on Twitter and check out his podcast One Photo Reviews. And if you're in LA, see him on the UCB Harold team Mister Town City, come to his UCB Spank show He Gets It 6/19/13, and come check out our indie improv show, The Manifesto Show. Cate Blanchett in Hot Fuzz All of Stan Lee's cameos Bill Murray in Get Smart Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licensed under a Creative Comm

Jacki Merchant returns this week to join Jen in dissecting the new season of Arrested Development and weigh in on how it compares to the original series. They go through the hits, the misses, the things that are just plain different about the Netflix version, and the things that (depending on your level of optimism) either didn't pay off or hinted at more to come. Of course, there are a bunch of spoilers since it would be impossible to talk about this new season's highly overlapping timeline without giving something away. Consider yourself warned! If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow Jacki on Twitter The AV Club article about about the correlation between the critical reception of Arrested Development and the Netflix stock fall on 5/28 The old and new seasons of Arrested Development are both on Netflix NBC's Ed Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licensed under a Cre

It's hard to believe this podcast has been going on for a year! Jen takes the anniversary as an opportunity to give some updates on topics from previous episodes and share some unaired clips. Plus she tells you where to find some fun promo videos for the podcast, because she's been doing them for a little while but hasn't mentioned them on the show itself. And who wouldn't want to watch a couple throw marshmallows at bowls tied to each other's heads in a living room replica of Double Dare? If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: You can follow PrePopCulture and Jen on Twitter and find the PrePopCulture video promos on YouTube. Check out JJ Abrams' TED talk on his Mystery Box and his discussion of Star Trek on the Daily Show, plus Damon Lindelof telling Grantland about the Dark Tower optioning process Check Arrested Development's official Twitter to find Bluth's Original Froze

Casey Feigh (Crashbar) and Nick Mandernach (Room 101) return to discuss the upcoming 2nd Annual LA Indie Improv Festival. From where it all started in 2012, to the ways the festival has grown this year, to how the teams are selected and scheduled, these three give you an inside look at anything and everything you might want to know about this event. So take a listen, and come out to enjoy the LA Indie Improv Festival on May 25! Oh, and if you've got a line on any fruit punch SoBe Power, let Casey know. He's jonesing for it. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow Casey and Nick on Twitter and check out their indie improv shows Crashbar and Room 101. You can also see them in UCB Harold team John Velvet and their hip hop improv group, Hip Hop Penguin. Check out the LA Indie Improv Festival on 5/25/13! We're still taking volunteers and accepting donations. We're also doin

Scott Narver returns and Steve Sears comes by for the first time to discuss steampunk culture, a genre most commonly associated with the intersection of science fiction and the Victorian era. If it's steam-powered, mechanized, filled with automatons, and has zeppelins, odds are it falls under the steampunk purview, which Scott, Steve, and Jen are admittedly not experts on but are certainly interested by. But Steve does kinda have steampunk facial hair, so maybe he knows more than he initially let on… If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show notes: Check out Scott and Steve's podcast Curtain Jerks, their improv group Bro Squad 5 which you can see every Saturday at 9:30pm at the Saturday Night Main Event at Second City in LA, Scott's YouTube show Scott Vs Box, and Steve's forthcoming movie Dave Made A Maze. You can also follow Curtain Jerks, Scott Vs Box, Dave Made A Maze, and Steve on

Stephen Perlstein returns this week to dissect lifehacking, which has the very broad definition of anything that solves a problem or increases productivity in everyday life. Lifehacking sites have everything from tips and tricks for around the house, to guides for tinkering and DIY projects, to app recommendations, to general life advice, to strategies for increasing efficiency. Basically, if there's a problem plaguing you big or small, odds are there's a lifehack for it. But if the term is so broad that it can basically mean anything, then does it really mean anything at all? Who knows, but at least Stephen's figured out how to stop accidentally washing his hair too many times. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show links: Follow Stephen on Twitter and check out the Improv Obsession Podcast Lifehacker.com Lifehack.org The picture list of 99 lifehacks And if you're curious whether

This week, Julia Marchese joins Jen to discuss revival cinema, the type of movie theater that has classic and special programming rather than first run films. Working at and loving the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles, Julia is a veritable expert on revival cinema and has also been inspired to fight back against studios phasing out 35mm film prints by making her upcoming documentary, Out of Print. Julia shares thoughts on the importance of revival cinema to movies as a whole, what makes the New Beverly so special, plus cool tidbits about Out of Print. She also reveals what it's like to have Quentin Tarantino as your landlord. If you're enjoying PrePopCulture, please rate/review it on iTunes, and like it on Facebook! Want to suggest a topic for an episode? Email prepopculture@gmail.com! Show notes: Follow Julia on Twitter and stay tuned to the website for Out of Print for updates about the documentary! If you're in Los Angeles, check out the New Beverly! Butt-Numb-A-Thon Theme song: Alps by Motorama is licens