Murmur.com Podcast

August 18, 2010 - Ten years ago Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer for a novel celebrating the Golden Age of comics and the art of escape. What?s so special about The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay? In Murmur?s latest book club discussion, Paul, Ali, Josh Christie and David Accampo discuss this sprawling book, its themes, and all it says about love and comics.

August 9, 2010 - By popular demand, Kelly, Paul, Ali and Ron to discuss the best movie of the summer so far, Inception. As well as the yearly Mad Men gushing along with the fear of playing StarCraft II and some alternatives to bowing down to the Zerg as well as some personal recollections of the affect of playing video games on relationships. 00:01:22 - Discussion of Inception 00:24:47 - Mad Men, Season 4 has begun! 00:46:14 - StarCraft II it out and we're tempted

June 24, 2010 - Ron Richards and Conor Kilpatrick make their triumphant return to the Murmur Podcast to join Kelly Stephenson and Paul Montgomery to discuss summer TV and movies! Who's in the mood to dance? In 3D? Television Finales 00:01:32 - Lost 00:02:15 - Glee 00:06:06 - Grey's Anatomy 00:09:16 - 24 00:09:55 - Law and Order 00:10:57 - Smallville 00:12:07 - The Vampire Diaries Summer Television 00:14:45 - True Blood 00:18:45 - Treme 00:21:12 - Doctor Who 00:25:06 - Breaking Bad 00:27:03 - The Good Guys 00:29:42 - USA Summer Shows 00:31:43 - Big Brother Summer Movies 00:32:26 - Iron Man 2, A-Team, Jonah Hex 00:36:28 - The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo 00:38:55 - Toy Story 3 00:42:42 - Exit Through The Gift Shop 00:45:14 - Get Him To The Greek 00:48:00 - Harry Brown Upcoming Summer Movies 00:49:06 - This summer sucks, movie-wise 00:49:46 - Twilight Eclipse 00:50:30 - The Last Airbender 00:53:20 - Inception 00:56:11 - Scott Pilgrim vs. The Worl

June 9, 2010 - Paul Montgomery sits down with Murmur.com contributors Josh Christie and David Accampo to discuss Horns, the latest novel from Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box, Locke& Key). After a long night of dirty deeds, Ig Perrish wakes up to find a pair of stubby horns growing out of his temples. It's downright unsettling. Then come the confessions. People in town start sharing their deepest and darkest secrets with him, asking permission to do their damnedest. Let's not even start on what the snakes are doing. At the heart of it all is a mystery, a tale of lost love and rotten friendships. And not everybody's gonna dig it. Find out how it all shakes out.

May 20, 2010 - This week, in an experimental edition of the Murmur podcast, Ali is joined by guest Jon Stump, as they watched (500) Days of Summer together over Skype. In this so-called quirky romantic comedy, Tom falls hopelessly and helplessly in love with a girl named Summer. Ali and Jon give you a running commentary and first-time-viewing reactions to the movie... it's possible they turn into a sobbing mess at the end of all this. So cue up your DVD players and enjoy.

April 29, 2010 - Paul, Kelly, and Ali talk about all the stuff they're watching on TV this spring, from new Doctor Who to Glee, Pawn Stars, Treme, Parenthood, Castle and more. Paul laments not having a DVR. Still. Then the girls explain the phenomenon of Big Sexy, a rationale about TV choices that causes Paul to have an existential crisis.

April 13, 2010 - In this third outing for the Murmur Book Club, Paul Montgomery and Josh Christie journey into the Amazon to discuss David Grann's The Lost City of Z, a tale of archaeological obsession. In 1925 Percy Fawcett, his son Jack, and a team of explorers and porters embarked on an expedition into the rain forest to locate a mythic lost city. They never returned. After nearly a century and dozens of rescue missions, we're no closer to solving the mystery. But that doesn't stop intrepid reporter David Grann from writing a gripping yarn about Fawcett's lifelong obsession as well as his own modern expedition into the Green Hell. It's a badass history lesson even for those who tend to thumb their noses at nonfiction.

March 30, 2010 - Spring is here and there's a ton of new music to be heard. Ron Richards and Ryan Penagos run through the latest in music that's been filling up their iPod as winter is past us. So roll down your windows, turn the volume up and prepare to rock out! Bands discussed in this episode: She and Him Broken Bells Gorillaz Walter Schreifels Murder By Death Transit Ida Maria Crime in Stereo The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! Operation Ivy Pinhead Gunpower Avail Music: [ride friendship] The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!

March 9, 2010 - Ali, Jim, and Paul adjust their 3D glasses and weigh in on Hollywood's latest attempt to lure you to the multiplex. Are the studios mining new depths in high-tech storytelling, or is it all just one epic migraine after another? Later, Jim sings the Internet Blues. It's time to own up or shut up when it comes to online anonymity. Finally, we showcase a pair of community articles about 90s TV nostalgia, then ride the show right off the rails with memories of our own latch-key childhoods. 00:01:08 - 3D Movies 00:17:21 - Jim has the Internet Blues 00:27:10 - We're getting to know you with Kelly's Talk Amongst Ourselves: Who Are You? article. 00:32:50 - Community Showcase: Back to the Well(sville) and Finding Myself in 90s Kids' TV

February 23, 2010 - February 23, 2010 - Magic is in the air and snow is on the slopes as Paul, Mike, and Ali gush about the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Who's got curling fever and who thinks it's just shuffleboard air hockey? Even so, everyone can agree Bob Costas is totally lame. Later on, Paul and Josh Christie sit down to talk about our extremely popular and totally polarizing Book Club Pick, The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Is magic all it's cracked up to be in this crass and complex story about a group of disaffected teens enrolled in a college for witchcraft and wizardry? Josh also paired this one with a beer. Does The Dogfish Head Red and White have us under its spell? 00:01:40 - The Vancouver Winter Olympics are crazy! 00:31:13 - Murmur Book Club: The Magicians by Lev Grossman 00:45:08 - Dogfish Head Red and White is beer and wine at the same time! 00:47:34 - Our next Book Club pick is David Grann's The Lost City of Z! 00:49:31 - And we're pairing it with Stone Brewing Company's Arrogant Basta

February 9, 2010 - What more could a Murmur podcaster ask for with this episode? We've got an in-depth analysis of the 2010 Oscar Nominations, a dissection of Apple's announcement of the new iPad, as well as head scratching questions over the season premiere of LOST. Ron Richards, Jim Mroczkowski and Ali Colluccio gather to make educated (and some uneducated) guesses all around. Worth the listen, even if you did (or didn't) see Precious. 00:01:14 - The 2010 Oscar Nominations have been announced and we discuss the leading categories, actors/actresses and film and director. 00:31:48 - Apple has introduced the iPad, have we been saved or is it all just hype? 00:43:24 - The long awaited season premiere of LOST came and went and left our heads spinning.

January 26, 2010 - Murmur staffers Mike Romo, Josh Flanagan and Conor Kilpatrick have gathered to talk about the two topics that most dominate the American pop culture landscape: The Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien mess at The Tonight Show and James Cameron's Avatar. All that, plus the prospect of seeing the original Star Wars Trilogy in 3D leads to a wide ranging discussion of favorite theater experiences, seeing Jaws while floating the water, the future of 3D television, running out of Wiimotes, not knowing where to sit in IMAX movies, and HD lenses. 00:01:06 - The Tonight Show host shuffle has dominated the American pop culture landscape in January of 2010. Conan O'Brien is out and Jay Leno is back in and what does this mean from a business and creative standpoint? 00:25:47 - Avatar is now the highest grossing film of all time. The guys discuss the pre-release backlash, whether or not digital actors deserve Academy Award consideration, the future of 3D films, and oh yeah, the movie itself.

January 12, 2010 - The first podcast of 2010 bring Paul, Kelly and new Murmur staff writer Ali as well as a special guest, Murmur user Josh as they gather to discuss the New Year, various kitchen adventures and the Murmur Book Club, discussing Josh Bazell's Beat the Reaper. New Years Resolutions 00:01:30 - Ali wants to keep up with the movies 00:02:43 - Josh and Paul want to keep up with the books and Paul's gonna use his new Kindle 00:05:03 - Everybody's concerned about physical fitness, but somebody actually wants to gain weight 00:07:46 - How do you keep track of your resolutions? 00:09:29 - Everybody needs to get caught up on TV, old and new. Was Sports Night a dress tech for the West Wing? 00:11:40 - Kelly has conquered her Tivo 00:12:30 - And she's taking on some culinary challenges. Do marshmallow's grow on trees? 00:15:15 - Paul discovers a long-forgotten lab experiment in his basement. Kitchen Alchemy 00:16:33 - Josh is brewing his own beer and Kelly's town smells like br

December 27, 2009 - It's the fourth annual All Media Year End Round Up where Josh Flanagan, Ron Richards, and Conor Kilpatrick discuss everything they enjoyed in 2009 from movies, to television, to music, to video games and of course, to comic books. Enjoy! Movies 00:02:15 - Up in the Air 00:08:12 - Star Trek 00:09:39 - The Road 00:11:34 - Up 00:13:53 - Away We Go 00:16:18 - Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince 00:18:19 - The Men Who Stare at Goats 00:21:02 - The Fantastic Mr. Fox 00:24:49 - Taken 00:27:00 - Funny People 00:29:35 - (500) Days of Summer 00:32:01 - Watchmen 00:34:22 - Inglorious Basterds 00:36:45 - In the Loop 00:38:51 - Adventureland Television 00:41:41 - Mad Men 00:42:43 - Glee 00:46:08 - Friday Night Lights 00:50:48 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 00:53:33 - Curb Your Enthusiasm 00:57:42 - Top Chef 00:59:04 - Bored To Death 01:02:59 - FlashForward 01:05:49 - Breaking Bad 01:09:46 - X Factor 01:14:51 - Survivor 01:17:02 -

December 8, 2009 - We've got a jam-packed show this week as Murmur staffers Josh Flanagan, Conor Kilpatrick, Kelly Stephenson, Paul Montgomery, and Jim Mroczkowski talk about everything from writing to British sci-fi to giant cupcakes to stacks of unread books. This one's not only got something for everybody! 00:01:09 - Josh, Kelly, Paul and Jim look back on NaNoWriMo and the sparks fly because one of the four really, really, REALLY hated it. 00:25:15 - Josh, Kelly, Paul and Jim discuss Dr. Who and Torchwood and try to figure out just how menacing lo-tech aliens really are. 00:41:53 - Josh, Conor, Kelly and Jim use WonderAli's article about Baking as a spring board for their own baking experiences. Mmm... pie. 00:56:40 - Josh, Conor, Paul and Jim talk about the issues raised in JChristie's Do you re-read books? and offer their holiday book recommendations. Music On The Bus Mall The Decemberists

November 24, 2009 - The holidays are fast approaching and that means holiday shopping. Conor Kilpatrick, Mike Romo and Ron Richards gather to discuss Blu-Ray paralysis, the hot DVDs that you should add to your shopping list as well as some great tech gadgets that could help you get the gifts for all the important people in your life. DVDs Star Trek Star Trek: The Original Series ?Firefly: The Complete Series Watchmen: The Ultimate Director's Cut Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series The Lord of the Rings Trilogy? Mad Men Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Band of Brothers? Up ?Gone with the Wind - 70th Anniversary The ?Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Set Holiday Tech Gift Ideas Samsung Blu-ray Player, BD-P1590 Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 Compact Speakers for iPod and iPhone Fujiilm Instax MINI 7s White Instant Film Camera Maximo iMetal In-Ear Earphones? Harmony Remotes ?Logitech Squeezebox Radio? Flip Mino HD Onkyo TX-SR607 7.2-Channel A/V

November 10, 2009 - This week, Murmur staffers Conor Kilpatrick, Ron Richards, Josh Flanagan, and Paul Montgomery sit down to talk about some of the more notable shows and issues from the first half of the television season. Is Mad Men still the best show on television? Is The Office truly done? And what's on everyone's fantasy NBC Thursday night lineup? 00:01:31 - Did Mad Men close out its season with a heist? Yes. Yes, it did. 00:22:26 - Ron was totally let down by the premiere episode of V. 00:30:41 - FlashForward feelings run the gamut from love to indifference. 00:35:20 - Paul and Conor take a moment to give some love to the final season of Monk. 00:38:31 - The state of NBC's Thursday night line-up. 00:41:08 - There are so many reasons to love Community. 00:44:14 - Parks and Recreation might just be the best comedy on Thursday. 00:47:40 - The Office makes everyone sad. Especially Paul. 00:52:32 - What the hell happened to 30 Rock? Music: A Beautiful Mine Madder Men (featuring

October 27, 2009 - This episode of Murmur features Paul Montgomery, Kelly Stephenson, Jim Mroczkowski, and Josh Flanagan getting deep into a bunch of topics, including Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Top Chef, Halloween, the Death of Web Communities, and National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. It's definitely a Lifestyle focused episode of the Murmur Podcast. TV: 00:01:26 - Jim wrote a In Defense of Jimmy Fallon's new show, and Josh agrees with him. We like Jimmy! 00:09:11 - Paul, Kelly, and Josh weigh in on what's happening with Top Chef Las Vegas. Also, apparently those guys are brothers! Lifestyle: 00:16:54 - It's time for Halloween, and the whole group spends a little time trying to figure out what that holiday means to them as proper adults, some with actual kids of their own! Paul just likes candy, and interesting outfits. 00:36:30 - The panel discusses web communities, spurred on by user Dave C's article, Unplugged: Coping with the End of an Online Community. Is it even possibl

October 13, 2009 - This week on Murmur, Ryan Penagos, Paul Montgomery and Ron Richards dig their heels in deep for the longest Murmur podcast ever. There's even a cameo appearance by the talented Elizabeth Keenan, who drops some music knowledge on the boys as they discuss the latest in music, as well some some movies like Zombieland, Coco Before Chanel, We Live in Public and the Lord of the Rings with a live orchestra. The boys also get their geek on as they admit that the iPhone is pretty cool and we don't quite know what to make of Google Wave. Movies: 00:01:28 - Zombies are all the rage and the movie Zombieland! is definitely a good addition to the trend 00:08:00 - Instead of seeing Zombieland! Ron chose Coco Before Chanel 00:11:01 - and Ron also saw We Live in Public and got a little freaked out 00:16:35 - Lord of the Rings couldn't get more epic than seeing it with a live orchestra, like Ryan did Music: 00:23:04 - "Laura" - Girls - from the album "Album" 00:24:46 - "Dominos" - The Bi

September 29, 2009 - Murmur staffers Conor Kilpatrick, Josh Flanagan, Paul Montgomery and Jim Mroczkowski get together to talk about a whole mess of topics from across the Murmur spectrum. Along the way there are fond memories of Kozmo.com, Josh tells sordid tales from the set of Junkyard Wars, and Jim slags off Josh's favorite author! Tech: 00:01:13 - Everybody gets to be a Beatle in Beatles Rock Band, where there is no booing no matter how badly you play. Music: 00:14:06 - The remastered Beatles CDs are super groovy! 00:20:05 - Jim's article, "Talk Amongst Ourselves: Does Music Matter" is discussed. The answer is no. No, wait -- yes. Maybe? Television: 00:30:17 - Josh gives a passionate defense of the genre in his article "Calling Reality TV Stupid is Stupid". Literature: 00:42:59 - Kelly Stephenson's article, "Top of the Stack: Fall 2009" inspires everyone to take a hard look at their stacks. 00:43:42 - What's Paul reading? 00:46:35 - What's Josh reading? 00:48:07 - What's