Nerd Lunch: The First 100

It's our big 25th episode and to celebrate we're not only borrowing a signature topic from our podcasting brothers The Atomic Geeks but one of the Geeks as well, Michael DiGiovanni. DiGio sits in for our own take on “Its A Re-Do” as we tackle America’s favorite teen angsty Superman show, Smallville. Listen to find out if we think the show needed more tights, more flight, or more Degrassi High. This week’s Nerd To-Dos run the gamut from Buck Rogers to DC Comics, plus the weekend for Pax’s viewing if Episode I in 3D has finally arrived.

In what we hope will be a franchise topic, we have our guest guide us through an examination of some new territory. Up first is our old friend Shawn Robare from Branded in the 80s to lead us into anime with the Hayao Miyazaki film "Spirited Away". Listen to find out what three anime newbies think of one of the most celebrated Japanese movies of all time. Plus in this week’s Nerd To-Dos we get CT’s review of the Star Trek TNG “The Next Level” Blu-ray sampler and learn about Shawn’s growing OMFG addiction.

We gotta get back in time! No, we’re not revisiting episode 2 about Back to the Future, but we are talking about some of the best and worst uses and methods of time travel in pop culture. Of course, Doc Brown and his DeLorean are mentioned, but we also dig up some gems like The Final Countdown and Timecop. In our Nerd To-Dos, we hear about Pax’s preparation for seeing Phantom Menace in 3D, find out why CT will soon be hanging out on the Banzai Institute Facebook page, and discuss a little news (gasp!) about the long rumored Star Wars TV show.

We steal from the playbooks of Sly Stallone and guest Aaron Nix this week by assembling our own superstar teams for movie genres. First up is a Western where we come up with a list of stars worthy of the obvious headliner Clint Eastwood. Then we put together a Rom Com cast which includes the “John Wayne of romantic comedies” and that should strike fear into boyfriends and husbands everywhere. In our Nerd To-Dos, we find out which nerd has a gold Yoda Pepsi can in his collection and hear Pax’s review of the dreck that is Transformers 3 (Hey kids, can you guess who’s writing this episode description?).

While Jeeg is off jet setting overseas, Pax and CT take advantage and welcome Vanessa and Erika from girls-gone-geek.com to discuss "comic book scenarios." The podcasting crew discuss super powers, sidekicks, and which characters should be killed and stay dead. Plus, one member's "Nerd To-Do" reveals a desire to finally do some Black Canary cosplay. No...it's not CT's to-do, but just saying that paints a picture you'll never get rid of. You're welcome, Internet.

The Nerd Lunch crew is back together with Robert Zerbe for a bigger, louder, and uncut episode. After hearing about the latest happenings at To The Escape Hatch, we dive into movie sequels. We discuss what makes a good sequel, debate the differences between movie series and sequels, give our favorites and least favorites, and propose our own sequels for movies that don’t yet have any. In this week’s Nerd To-Do List, we offer a heaping helping of British TV and Pax provides an update on the Star Trek/Quantum Leap fanfic story mentioned in episode 18.

Podcast regular Shawn Robare occupies the fourth chair for a discussion of sodas, pops, fizzy drinks, cokes, or whatever you might call them. We kick around our favorite and most hated carbonated beverages, wade into the cola wars, and talk about ill conceived soda disasters. Crystal Pepsi, anyone? Plus in the Nerd To-Do List, we finally get an Earthworm Jim reference and CT's review of the Green Lantern movie.

Jay from The Sexy Armpit returns to our guest chair to kick off a new year of the podcast. Jay joins Pax, Jeeg, and CT in an exploration of the terrifying majesty that is FanFiction.net. After coming to grips with the site, each of us selects a fan fiction story for a favorite property, does our best to actually read it, and offers up a review. If you ever wanted to know who wears the pants in Hordak's Horde family or were curious about Amy Allen's dating life, this is the episode for you.

Lists have become the one of the Internet's favorite ways to cook up easy content and generate views. They're also one of our favorite ways to cook up easy episodes and generate downloads. In this week's episode we turn our critical eyes to a list of the top 25 sci-fi movies and tear it to shreds... or do we? In hindsight we probably should have decided what if meant to bust a list before we started.

Director Michael Bay stands accused of crimes against movie going audiences everywhere. Arguing the case for the prosecution is Jeeg, leading Bay's defense is CT, acting as star witness is Jeremy of Geekchunks.com, and presiding over our podcast courtroom is the honorable Judge Paxton Holley. Find out if Transformers, Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor, and the rest warrant keeping Bay off the streets and out of the director's chair. To paraphrase the late Johnnie Cochran (well, not really), "if the earbuds fit, you must listen to this."

Our original idea for Episode 15 was a great one, but it was shelved. Instead our old pal Fitz from Episode 8 returns to talk about great TV shows that were axed too soon. Of course Firefly and Arrested Development come up, but we delve into an interesting selection of other shows including nerd favorites Veronica Mars, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., and Cleopatra 2525 (huh?). Grab this episode now before the suits at The Atomic Geeks Podcasting Network get wind of our ratings.

Access Hollywood's Ultimate Star Wars Fan, Jason Collier, accompanies us to Kashyyyk for our first (and last?) annual Life Day celebration. Rather than invoke our rights under the Geneva Convention, we endure the Star Wars Holiday Special for you. Harvey Korman's bad comedy, Carrie Fisher's singing, and Chewbacca's dad's "special time" with Diahann Carroll only scratch the surface of this TV disaster. Listen and find out why George Lucas wanted to smash every copy of the special with a sledgehammer and why each of us would gladly drive him to Home Depot to buy a sledgehammer.

Kristin from the Geeks Girls Network joins CT and Pax to discuss characters that would animate our cels, so to speak, if we were also cartoons. Find out who we choose as the one to reject, the one who got away, the ideal bad girl/guy, and the true love. Also listen for the patented TAG Network creepiness detector to alert when we consider the ages of some picks, discuss "He-Man's sword", delve into cross species dating, and think about the prospect of cartoon babies. Plus in the most unexpected twist of the week, one of the Nerd To-Do Lists includes a marathon... in real life... involving actual running.

This week we follow in the footsteps of Weird Al Yankovic and program our very own UHF stations. None of us are bold enough to reboot the Volcano Worshiper's Hour, but we devise some interesting line-ups regardless. As long as it’s nerdy, we’ve got it all on NerdHF. A local creature feature host? Check. Classic 80s cartoons? Double check. Star Trek reruns? Of course. Angel reunion movies with David Boreanaz? Sure, why not. But wait, there’s more! All listeners will also receive the new Nerd To-Do List segment at no extra charge.

Cast member and official tweeter for A Klingon Christmas Carol, Jen Usellis Mackay, joins us at the lunch table this week. Jen gives us the inside scoop on what it's like to work on the first play performed in the Klingon language, how to get in on this year's performances in Chicago, and Yo-Yo Ma's Romulan music project (not really). Later the Nerds get a mini language lesson from Jen and we all play a few rounds of "our favorite Klingon things". Listen and find out why tlhutlhlu'meH QaQ jajvam!

Shawn Robare of Branded in the 80s returns to join CT, Jeeg, and Pax. We discuss the Masters of the Universe toys of our youth including favorites, disappointments, and those figures or vehicles we wanted but never got. Along the way we learn about our collective obsession with Faker, the dirty hippies employed by Mattel, and Shawn's quest to create a topless Evil Lynn. Last but not least, Atomic Geek Christian Nielsen makes an unexpected appearance by the power of Grayskull (or some evil sorcery called Skype).

On this week's episode CT, Pax, and Jeeg embark on an excursion under the command of starship captain and pop culture blogger Jay Amabile of The Sexy Armpit blog. When a wormhole flings the ship across the galaxy and damages all systems, some hard choices have to be made. Jeeg can get the damaged food replicator back online, but with only 10 recipes. The guys have to come together to decide what will be on the menu for the next several decades and, to nobody's surprise, it won’t be health food. Hopefully Jeeg can fix the Emergency Medical Hologram program next.

Long time friend of Nerd Lunch, Fitz, occupies the fourth chair this week. In this episode the guys outfit some rooms with the finest in nerd decor. Fictional decorating budgets are blown on vintage pulp magazines, a replica lightsaber hilt, a Magic d20 of Destiny, and a Pimp Daddy Destro action figure amongst other items. Then things get really geeky when the exercise is repeated with a blank check. Eat your heart out, Ty Pennington.

[Begin HYPE mode] Robert Zerbe joins the guys on what is assuredly the greatest podcast episode ever recorded! After Robert fills us in on his blog, "To The Escape Hatch!", and how Bruce Campbell rolls, we catch up on a few of the most hyped movies and TV shows from the last 15 years. Can reality possibly match the buildup for Braveheart, The Wire, Mad Men, or The Walking Dead? Find out in the funniest and most insightful 71 minutes of audio on the 'Net! [End HYPE mode]

Nerd Lunch contributor Cordy Stepp sits in with Jeeg, Pax, and CT for an examination of the first two Star Trek: TNG movies, Generations and First Contact. Shocking revelations are disclosed when CT declares that he doesn’t like First Contact, Pax admits to playing Data’s "life forms" song on his computer keyboard, Jeeg defends Alfre Woodard, and Cordy questions why Data hasn't been "buttering everyone's popcorn" for years. Plus the question of who likes Generations is finally answered (Here's a hint: none of us).