recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue Pod

*For the Patreon episode, see Rogue One Commentary.*
**Rogue One: A Star Wars Story** (also known as **Rogue Pod**) is episode 88 focusing on the film of the same name, as part of the podcast's continuing coverage of the Star Wars Sequels. Posted 16 Dec 2016.

## Summary

> "On the day of it’s release in December of 2016, Griffin and David discussed the highly anticipated spinoff Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Together they examine the new planets, Darth Vader’s milk bath, Peter Cushing’s return and why Star Wars films require great jackets."
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Griffin and David and Ben all went to see this together as soon as it was released. It hit them with a different kind of rhythm than they were used to in these movies, and the discussion revolves around that idea in different ways. No crawl; no deliberate scenes of robots walking around aimlessly; locations identified with title cards (!); and Forrest Whitaker in all his Forrest Whitaker-ness. Even the main droid character is not, like, some version of a garbage can on wheels or an effete butler-man. Is this Star Wars?

Questions for this episode to answer: Was Rogue One designed especially for Producer Ben? Is there enough character development for Griffin to get into it? Was the CGI for human characters okay or was it uncanny - and was it too much to make CGI boots for Grand Moff Tarkin? David wonders, when did Darth Vader get into puns? What will a Performance Review reveal about this movie?

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Griffin and David Present: The Movie! Starring Brendan Fraser, Johnny Galecki, and Dexter Jettster as Producer Ben Hosley, aka The Benducer, aka Prodoer Ben... with a crawl for the nicknames.
* New Ben nickname: The Meatlover!
* Thing Griffin seemed most into about the movie: British people in jackets.
Solo Commentary

*This article is about the Patreon commentary. For the main feed episode, see Solo: A Star Wars Story.*

## Solo

### Reddit thread

Link

**Solo** is episode 40 of the Blank Check: Special Features, and a commentary episode as part of the continuing coverage of the Star Wars Sequels. Posted January 1, 2020 and released from behind the paywall on January 1, 2023.

## Summary

>
> Happy New Year Checkmates! For the first episode of 2020, Griffin, David and Ben are kicking off a new commentary series covering Episodes 3-9. But first? The spin-offs! We're picking up where the prequels left off on the canon galactic timeline and starting with *Solo*. Bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and starring everyone's favorite scoundrel, Solo was meant to be a slam dunk, and lay the groundwork for future character-focused standalones. Two years later we look back on the chaos of production, what worked, and how \*one\* movie threw off Disney's big plans. (See what we did there?)
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* **Movie starts at 0:03:46.**
* One of Ben's life goals is to write a book of bathroom humor/jokes to read while on the toilet, and this ep starts with one of the jokes!
* The score to this film: very good.
* The Star Wars school of space ship design: pick a normal object + what if that was a space ship.
* Ben's SW sandbox pitch: Star Wars Antiques Roadshow
* David: Self-professed slut for Woody Harrelson. Call him Bo Peep because he loves Woody.
* Therm Scissorpunch
* Ben's trying to quit smoking. We believe in you, buddy!
* Box office game: Weekend of May 25, 2018

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Solo. Patreon. Retrieved on April 17, 2022.
Split

**Split** is episode 92 focusing on the movie of the same name, as a follow-up to the podcast's coverage of the filmography of M. Night Shyamalan - Pod Night Shyamacast. Posted 21 Jan 2017.

## Summary

> On the week of it’s release in January of 2017, Griffin and David discussed the new M. Night Shyamalan film: *Split*. Together they examine James McAvoy’s career, horror troupes, the outstanding cinematography and ruminate on the movie’s HUGE twist.
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For the first time in this podcast's history, #TheTwoFriends had to deliver on their promise to cover any new movie directed by a previous miniseries subject. It's a new movie from M. Night Shyamalan!

After a discussion of the casting and Griffin's previous real-world encounter with James McAvoy, the podcast gave ample warning of approaching spoiler territory... and then launched into the big spoiler with an breathless "So.... What the FUCK??!?!?" Did the end of this film break Griffin's brain?

But that twist isn't until the end of the movie, so first it's a discussion of the 'problematic' mental-illness issue that surrounded the movie's release. The term Disassociative Identity Disorder gets thrown around a lot in this movie, so the question is whether it's being used too sloppily. Or perhaps the movie is clearly 'schlocky' enough to make it clear that it's not supposed to be regarded rigorously. In fact, perhaps the twist at the end becomes the key that makes that work, possibly the first time since *The Sixth Sense* that Shyamalan lived up to his 'great twist' reputation.

Is Anya Taylor-Joy able to inhabit and transform the role of "slasher movie damsel" in this day and age, and does her character have a backstory that works or is that the real 'problematic' part of this film? Does Betty Buckley get shortchanged? James McAvoy has a role that could easily tip into parody - does he use too much paprika on his sandwich? Can Shyamalan give himself a good cameo role; and behind the camera, has he finally found a way to move past the pressure of being anointed as the next Spielberg-type... in a Blumhouse movie of all things?

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Origin of "too much paprika on the sandwich."
* First episode recorded after the 2016 American presidential inauguration
* better title for *Meet Dave*: let's go with *Starship Dave*
* "There's always going to be a spectrum of taste, and there's always gonna be movies on the extreme ends of that taste. I mean, fuckin' *Elle*, man!"
Saving Private Ryan

**Saving Private Ryan** is episode 95 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Pod Me If You Cast miniseries covering the filmography of Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks era.

## Summary

> "In our third episode of Spielberg: The DreamWorks Years mini series, Griffin and David are joined by Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) to discuss 1998's war drama Saving Private Ryan."
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* In the Spreadmaster's Delight episode, Griffin and David nominated it for Best Editing 1998.
T2

**This article is a disambiguation page for T2**

The following is a list of links to pages that might share the same title.

Please follow one of the disambiguation links below or search to find the page you were looking for if it is not listed. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

* For the sequel to The Terminator, colloquially known as *T2*, see Terminator 2: Judgement Day
* For the sequel to Trainspotting, colloquially known as *Trainspotting 2*, see T2 Trainspotting.
Ramona Head

**Ramona Head** is a designer and long-time FOG (friend of Griffin).

Ramona initially hated David for getting his dirty little fingers on her popcorn at trivia. She first appeared on the show in the live portions of the Toruk episode where, according to Griffin, she got drunk and insisted she could perform all the acrobatic moves herself.
Tales from the Crypt

**Tales from the Crypt** is episode 76 of Blank Check: Special Features as part of the Podcast Away miniseries on the films of Robert Zemeckis. Posted November 11, 2020 and released from behind the paywall on November 11, 2023.

## Summary

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> Welcome checkmates to Blank Check: Special....Fright-tures! HAHAHA! In this bone-us episode, Griffin...Wolfman and David...Slimes DARED to watch and talk about 3 episodes of *Tales from the Crypt* directed by Robert Zemeckis! HAHAHA!
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> "And All Through the House" - 1989 - S1 Ep2
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> *Starring Mary Ellen Trainor, Larry Drake, Marshall Bell*
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> "Yellow" - 1991 - S3 Ep14
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> *Starring Kirk Douglas, Eric Douglas, Lance Hendriksen, Dan Aykroyd*
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> "You, Murderer" - 1995 - S6 Ep15
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> *Starring: Humphrey Bogart, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Sherilyn Fenn*
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Griffin and David did this episode “Big Willy Style” (just the two of them)

## References

1. ↑ Tales from the Crypt on Patreon. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
Podcast Away

**Podcast Away** is a miniseries covering the films of Robert Zemeckis beginning in September 2020.

## Summary

This series covers the films of March Madness 2020 winner Robert Zemeckis, who won in a landslide final match-up against Barry Sonnenfeld.

The series was preceded by Pod & Basketcast about the films of Gina Prince-Bythewood.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Upon completion this miniseries became the longest miniseries, both in terms of number of episodes and tied with Stop Making Podcasts for the number of films covered. It has since been passed by They Podcast for number of episodes, but retook the lead for number of films covered upon the release of Pinocchio.
	+ Prior to this series, the longest miniseries was 17 episodes Podward Scissorcast, which this series bests by 3 episodes
* This is the first full miniseries art to feature Producer Ang!
* Includes the first episode to crack the 3 hour mark (Used Cars).
* The miniseries also holds the podcast record for the most episodes longer than 2:30. 9 episodes pass that mark: Used Cars, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Death Becomes Her, Forrest Gump, A Christmas Carol, The Walk, Welcome to Marwen, and Pinocchio.
* Producer Ben finally received his nickname for this miniseries during the The Moon Is...the Sun's Dream/Trio episode:
	+ **Ben to the Hosley Part III**, or,
	+ alternatively, **Benocchio**.

## Ranking His Filmography

At the conclusion of the miniseries, the Blankies rankings will compiled from a voting thread found on the r/Blankies sub-reddit.

## References

1. ↑ u/mi-16evil, What is the your Robert Zemeckis ranking?, reddit. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
2. ↑ u/mi-16evil, Robert Zemeckis aggregated ranking, reddit. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
The Book of Henry

The Cast of Davey

**The Book of Henry** (also known as **The Cast of Davey**) is episode 113 focusing on the film of the same name. A standalone episode, posted 18 Jun 2017.

## Summary

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> On the week of it’s release in June of 2017, Griffin and David discussed the new Colin Trevorrow film: *The Book of Henry*.
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**EMERGENCY EPISODE! RED ALERT!**

Over the course of the podcast's first 100+ episodes, Griffin and David had made it quite clear what they thought of director Colin Trevorrow (*Safety Not Guaranteed*, *Jurassic World*), just another example of Griffin burning bridges in Hollywood before he could even cross them. When Trevorrow was selected to direct the highly anticipated upcoming *Star Wars Episode IX*, #TheTwoFriends despaired.

And then Trevorrow quietly put together a little movie called *The Book of Henry*.

David saw this movie at a critic's screening with past and future guest Emily Yoshida, and friend and future guest Armond White. Afterward he was so flabbergasted and befuddled and broken by it that Griffin felt he had to face it too: he had to open the Book.

In this episode, Griffin and David made it their mission to attempt to completely explain the movie, within a time limit of just 60 minutes, to audience surrogate Producer Ben. Will they be able to beat the buzzer on Ben's timer? Will Ben immediately point out the gaping plot holes and logical gaps in the story? Can Trevorrow get away with the perfect crime and go on to work on Star Wars? (SPOILER ALERT)

Listeners sometimes cite this episode as one of the best of the podcast. *Blank Check with Griffin and David* is not a "bad-movie podcast" but they can do it really well if they need to.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Word Griffin loves: patina
* Thing Ben loves: steampunk trees
* Thing David loves: Ben's ringtone, which is an old-fashioned car horn
* Primary competition for most hated movie of all time: Francis Ford Coppola's *Jack*
* Alternate title for The Dark Knight Rises in a David dream: *Twenty Years, But More Italians*
* Box office game: Weekend of June 16, 2017

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Book of Henry. Audioboom. Retrieved on January 30, 2023.
Riddick Commentary

**Riddick** is episode 108 of Blank Check: Special Features and a commentary on the 2013 film of the same name as part of the Riddick franchise commentaries. Posted September 1, 2021.

## Summary

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> We've come to the third (and for now final) installment in our commentary series on the Riddick franchise with 2013's return to form! Topics include: tracking the CGI advancement, bone aesthetic, smell-o-cast, Riddick being too horny, a dog that's marked by death and more!
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## References

1. ↑ Riddick on Patreon. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
Solo

**This article is a disambiguation page for Solo**

The following is a list of links to pages that might share the same title.

Please follow one of the disambiguation links below or search to find the page you were looking for if it is not listed. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

**Solo** may refer to:

* Solo: A Star Wars Story, episode 165 on the main feed.
* Solo Commentary, episode 42 of Blank Check: Special Features.
The Last Airbender

**The Last Airbender** is episode 48 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Pod Night Shyamacast miniseries covering the filmography of M. Night Shyamalan.

## Summary

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> Seaton Smith (Mulaney, Late Night with Seth Meyers) joins Griffin and David to discuss 2010’s agonizing, unwatchable fantasy adventure, The Last Airbender. When adapting the the original animated series, why did M. Night try to incorporate ALL 20 episodes of the first season into one movie? How do the casting choices reflect negatively on the film? Was Last Airbender so terrible that the BC crew in this episode talks about basically anything else? Yes, yes it is. Together, they examine the artist’s quest and how to avoid making your ‘Last Airbender,’ this being the first film Griffin ever auditioned for, on set stories for Chris Rock’s Top Five and Seaton meeting Woody Allen.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* They talk about the sitcom Seaton was on that Griffin was fired from (Mulaney).
Special Announcement

**Special Announcement** (aka **🚨Special Announcement🚨**) is a Blank Check: Special Features announcement episode covering the upcoming live show at the Bell House on May 12, 2022. All announcements were posted in the first two weeks in April and were deleted/removed thereafter. Since they were removed and are no longer accessible, they do not have a Special Features episode number.

## Summary

> Checkmates! Griffin and Ben have a EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Produce name update: The B is still held by Chip Smith so he remains **Producer En**. No word on if the B is being held on the moon or on earth.
* The show is still being planned but will likely be a live commentary
* If it sells out, they'll add another show!

# Live Show at The Bell House on May 12th!

## Live Show at The Bell House on May 12th!

### Audio link

Audioboom

**Live Show at The Bell House on May 12th!** is a main feed announcement episode covering the upcoming live show at the Bell House on May 12, 2022. Ben goes solo for this episode.

## Summary

> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blank-check-live-tickets-309982464897
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> Tickets go on sale April 8, 12PM ET\*
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> *\*24 hour presale offer exclusive to Patreon subscribers*
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Ben is back to being Ben, so presumably his contract with Chip Smith is finished and he has regained the B.
* The show will *not* be socially distanced, but full vaccination is required.
* Sold out, like, immediately.

# Another Special Announcement

## Another Special Announcement

### Running time

0:01

**Another Special Announcement** (aka **⚠️Another Special Announcement⚠️**) is a Blank Check: Special Features announcement episode covering the additional upcoming live show at the Bell House on June 8, 2022.

## Summary

> \*This is a message from the BCAS (Blank Check Alert System) with another EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT!\*
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* They added another show! June 8th, 2022, at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY.
* Much like the other show, it sold out super fast.
* Given the automated/robotic nature, it's possible this episode was recorded by RoboHoz.
* It was another live commentary!

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. 🚨Special Announcement🚨. Patreon. Retrieved on April 6, 2022.
2. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Live Show at The Bell House on May 12th!. Audioboom. Retrieved on April 7, 2022.
3. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. ⚠️Another Special Announcement⚠️. Patreon. Retrieved on April 14, 2022.
The Game

**The Game** is episode 444 focusing on the 1997 film of the same name as part of the The Curious Pod of Benjamin Buttcast miniseries on the films of David Fincher. Posted September 24, 2023.

## Summary

>
> Congratulations! If you are listening to this episode, it means you’ve discovered the key in the mouth of the wooden clown we placed in your driveway. Actor, musician, and handsome man Brendan Hines joins us this week as we lead you on an immersive, life-changing experience through David Fincher’s The Game. We understand you may have some questions. How much did this whole thing cost? Is cocaine a requirement for every Michael Douglas movie? What’s Deborah Kara Unger up to these days? Did Charles Martinet say “it’s a-meeee, daddio!” when he jumped off the roof? We will try our best to answer these enquiries, but please note that CRS is not liable to disclose all of its innerworkings to clients.
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> Guest Links:
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* APB: do not invite Griffin to BlueSky or call him Griffy Baby in DMs.
* It's Earl's birthday and he's the first ever in-studio dog guest!
* Griffin puts JJ on blast for not preparing a pro bono dossier on rapper The Game. This episode also does not cover the UPN/The CW/BET sitcom *The Game* nor the pickup method *The Game*.
* Box Office Game: Weekend of September 12, 1997

## Quotes

Intro:

> "*Discovering the object of the podcast \*is\* the object of the podcast.*"
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Game. Audioboom. Retrieved on September 24, 2023.
2. ↑ @blankcheckpod (2023-09-26). Earl in the studio. Twitter. Retrieved on September 27, 2023.
Rosewood

**Rosewood** is episode 326 focusing on the 1997 film of the same name as part of the Podz n the Cast miniseries on the films of John Singleton. Posted May 30, 2021.

## Summary

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> Blankie favorite Jamelle Bouie returns to the pod to discuss “Rosewood” - an ambitious historical epic whose failure at the box office (against not one, but TWO Star Wars re-releases) may have necessitated a shift for Singleton towards more commercial fare. The careers of Ving Rhames, Jon Voight, and Michael Rooker are spotlighted, as well as the surprising filmography of Rosewood’s screenwriter Greg Poirier.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Griffin's posters: French *Toy Story* and Jessica Alba in *Good Luck Chuck*
* Ben had a jazz phase?!
* Dredging in the Deep South by Jordan Levin in the LA times from June 1996.
* Without Jamelle, this would likely have been another Amistad episode.
* A Sam Raimi series is on the tarmac for some point in the future! And it came in Podcast Me to Hell!
* Box office game: Weekend of February 21, 1997

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Rosewood with Jamelle Bouie. Audioboom. Retrieved on May 30, 2021.
The Loveless

**The Loveless** is episode 127 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Pod-19: The Widowcaster miniseries covering the filmography of Kathryn Bigelow.

## Summary

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> Introducing a new mini series on the complete filmography of director Kathryn Bigelow! This week Griffin and David begin with her 1982 debut feature, The Loveless, about a wild 1950’s motorcycle gang in small-town America. But who is co-director Monty “Old Timey” Montgomery? How did Bigelow’s background in the fine arts and academia influence her films to come? How does the evolution of actors portraying the Joker eventually lead to a Vine star? Together they examine Willem Dafoe getting fired from Heaven’s Gate, DC supervillian’s relationship with vats of toxic waste, Marc Maron’s favorite seas and under ball. Plus, they present their Nolan filmography rankings.
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This miniseries begins with the only episode in the series to not feature a guest, and \*surprise\*, Griffin and David don't discuss the movie that much. Better time is spent as David assumes many things about co-director Monty Montgomery through only his name and IMDb profile picture. (He was the cowboy in *Mulholland Drive*?) Is he in fact a 19th century whiskey distillery owner transported to 1981 and had to be convinced these new fangled moving pictures work?

Before making movies, Bigelow was a painter, house-flipper (maybe her and Jeremy Renner exchanged stories on the set of *The Hurt Locker*), and a Gap model. Griffin notes that it is interesting to see the progression from Bigelow's fine arts background to creating genre films that both "the dumbest and smartest person in the room can like".

One \*tiny\* thing the film is notable for is being the first film role of **one of our greatest living character actors** Willem Dafoe, as well as his balls. #thetwofriends make sure to spend ample time discussing them as well as his 2009 op-ed titled "What I Know About Women". He was filming as a minor character in one of the biggest bounces of all time *Heaven's Gate*, but he was abruptly fired on set by noted sane person Michael Cimino. Lars Von Trier as been quoted in saying that the man's penis is "confusingly large".

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Martin Scorsese: Good in *Shark Tale*
* Willem Dafoe: Big Milwaukee
* Griffin Newman: First ever Disney employee with a Marvel character name tag
* Ben's pitch for a Hangover prequel: The Buzzed
* Every Batman Villain: Fell into a toxic vat
* Willem Dafoe interview: What I know about women
* 9 Famous People You Didn't Know Had Mondo Dongs

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Loveless. Audioboom. Retrieved on August 14, 2020.
2. ↑ Rosamund Witcher (2009-09-21). What I know about women. The Guardian. Retrieved on June 16, 2022.
3. ↑ Andrew Bridgman (2015-02-27). 9 Famous People You Didn't Know Had Mondo Dongs. College Humor. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved on June 16, 2022.
Prometheus Commentary

**Prometheus** is episode 78 of Blank Check: Special Features as part of the Alien Franchise commentaries. Posted December 1, 2020 and release from behind the paywall on December 1, 2023.

## Summary

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> Next up in our Alien franchise commentary series is the return of director Ridley Scott with 2012's Prometheus.
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> The movie starts at...16:12
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## References

1. ↑ Prometheus on Patreon. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
The Lego Batman Movie Commentary

**The Lego Batman Movie** is episode 143 of Blank Check: Special Features focusing on the 2017 feature film of the same name. Posted July 21, 2022.

## Summary

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> The Batman commentary series continues with 2017’s The Lego Batman Movie. Topics include: the hybrid CGI animation using real Lego bricks and pieces, the Danish company’s evolution, the voice performances of the extended cast, Lego sets for grown-ups, and more!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Ben *did* serve Will Arnett at the Spotted Pig, but no Burger Report. He was very nice and an excellent tipper!
* Allegra Frank's interview with Michael Cera: Michael Cera Meets His Biggest Fan
* Fran's piece on the lobster thermidor scene: In The Infinite Glow
* A24 podcast with Michael Cera and Jonah Hill: Don’t Be A Stranger
* The Collider interview with McKay about the cancelled *Lego Batman 2*: The Scrapped 'LEGO Batman' Sequel Was Being Written by Dan Harmon and Michael Waldron, and the Story Sounds Incredible
* Dave Kaleta’s LEGO Blank Check
* Box Office Game: Weekend of February 10, 2017

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Lego Batman Movie. Patreon. Retrieved on July 21, 2022.
2. ↑ Allegra Frank. Michael Cera Meets His Biggest Fan. Slate. Retrieved on July 21, 2022.
3. ↑ Fran Hoepfner. In The Infinite Glow. Bright Wall Dark Room. Retrieved on July 21, 2022.
4. ↑ A24 Podcast. Don’t Be A Stranger. A24 Films. Retrieved on July 22, 2022.
5. ↑ Rafael Motamayor. The Scrapped 'LEGO Batman' Sequel Was Being Written by Dan Harmon and Michael Waldron, and the Story Sounds Incredible. Collider. Retrieved on July 21, 2022.
Roadies

**Roadies** is episode 73 focusing on the short-lived Showtime TV series of the same name, as part of the We Pod A Cast miniseries covering the filmography of Cameron Crowe. Posted September 4, 2016.

## Summary

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> Musician and Blank Check theme song creator Layne Montgomery (The Romantic Comedy) joins #thetwofriends to lock the gates in our final episode of the Cameron Crowe mini series and discuss Crowe’s most recent project, the Showtime series *Roadies*. But does Cameron’s return to his roots pay off? Is the portrayal of the music industry actually relevant? Will this show get another season? Together the gang examines the ten episodes (so you don’t have to) including Ron White’s performance as an embalmed corpse, Luke Wilson’s Verizon commercials and Carla Gugino's filmography.
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## References

1. ↑ Roadies on Audioboom. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

**Sympathy for Lady Vengeance** is episode 434 focusing on the 2005 film of the same name as part of the I'm a Podcast, But That's OK miniseries on the films of Park Chan-wook. Posted July 16, 2023.

## Summary

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> Park Chan-Wook’s loosely-linked “Vengeance Trilogy” comes to a starkly satisfying end with 2005’s LADY VENGEANCE - a normal flick…that’s all we have to say! Just kidding - we have LOTS to say about this one, with its stacked cast of lady convicts and grief-stricken parents. Our beloved Karen Han returns to the pod to correct our terrible Korean pronunciations and to tell us about “Jump Like A Witch” - a Korean reality series wherein famous female celebrities attempt to form a basketball team. Plus - it should surprise no one that this episode contains plenty of Pirates of the Caribbean discussion.
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> Guest Links:
> Get Karen’s Book “BONG JOON HO DISSIDENT CINEMA”
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> Follow Karen on Twitter
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* A normal flick! That's all I have to say!
* Yet another Ben nickname change: *Ben: Pig is His Kitty* for Mad Pod: Fury Cast
* Tease for a Michael Bay miniseries, Karen calls dibs on *Pain & Gain*.
* Salazar

### Korean Box Office Game

July, 2005

1. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
2. The Island
3. Madagascar
4. Stealth
5. Robots

* Also in the top 10: War of the Worlds, Boogeyman, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Korean movies Heaven's Soldiers and Voice.

## Quotes

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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. Audioboom. Retrieved on July 16, 2023.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture Commentary

**Star Trek: The Motion Picture** (also known as **Star Trek: The Motionless Picture** and **Star Trek: The Slow Motion Picture**) is episode 86 of Blank Check: Special Features. Posted February 21, 2021.

## Summary

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> No its not highly illogical! BC:SF has launched a new commentary series on the OG Star Trek films. In our first installment, Griffin, David, and Ben were beamed up (by Scotty) and watched 1979's *Star Trek: The Motion Picture*. Topics include: Leonard Nimoy's face, the franchise's history, Shatner tweets, Star Shrek and more.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Some of Ben's dork bullying: Star Trek is for dorks; this franchise invented wedgies; periodically during the commentary, give yourself a wet Willy.
* I think you should leave: TC Tuggers

## References

1. ↑ Star Trek: The Motion Picture on Patreon. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
Podz n the Cast

**Podz n the Cast** is a miniseries covering the films of John Singleton beginning in May 2021.

## Summary

The second series focusing on a Black director! And the fifth focusing on a non-white director! The schedule was announced on twitter that the series would run early May through early July.

Singleton appeared in both March Madness 2018 and 2019, but was knocked out in the first round against Gore Verbinski both times.

The series is preceded by The Podbreak Cast on the films of Elaine May, and followed by They Podcast on the films of John Carpenter.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* The miniseries is the first time on the main feed the Two Friends will be able to talk about a movie in the Fast & Furious franchise! The first ever episode was a minisode on Blank Check: Special Features about the F9 trailer.
* Ben nickname for the series: **Benz in the Hos**.

## Ranking His Filmography

At the conclusion of the miniseries, the Blankies rankings were compiled from a voting thread found on the r/Blankies sub-reddit.

## References

1. ↑ @blankcheckpod. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
2. ↑ u/mi-16evil, What is your John Singleton ranking?, reddit. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
3. ↑ u/dm\_your\_thesis, John Singleton aggregated ranking, reddit. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
4. ↑ Griffin forgot to include *Poetic Justice*
Piranha II: The Spawning

**Piranha II: The Spawning** is episode 75 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Podinator: Judgment Cast miniseries covering the filmography of James Cameron. Posted Sepember 7, 2016.

## Summary

>
> In the debut episode of a new mini series examining the filmography of James Cameron, Griffin and David discuss 1981’s B horror, *Piranha II: The Spawning*. But what is the story behind Cameron’s first “unofficial” offering as a director? What was the main request from the Italian financiers of this film? In it’s 84 minute runtime are there more fish or people spawning? Together #thetwofriends delve into Cameron’s early career, share their mutual appreciation for actor Lance Henriksen, and attempt to make sense of this bonkers plot.
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It doesn't matter what we say here, no one's going to watch this!

James Cameron got his start electroshocking worms on low-budget Corman movies, and with *Piranha II* gets his first chance to direct on a Corman movie sequel project that was bought up by Italians. They had some interesting conditions for the movie, and so the final product features goodly amounts of 1) Penthouse T&A, and 2) piranhas that can fly. Of course, Cameron did not quite have the pull he later had, so this movie remained titled *Piranha II: The Spawning* rather than *Piranhas* or *Piranha$*.

So, why does James Cameron not really consider this movie to be his directing debut? Does Lance Henriksen pop like a motherfucker on screen, and does it look like he would make a good Terminator or a Bishop? Speaking of motherfuckers, what is going on with the romantic and the should-NOT-be-romantic-but-kind-of-looks-that-way relationships? And, even at this earliest stage of his directing career, where does it seem that the "Cameron Gaze" is looking?

Meanwhile David reacts to a negative review that complains about him cutting Griffin off too much - so he lets Griffin's song parody go long, and lets him run free to make points from atop his soapbox. And get ready: Griffin does some beautiful foley work on the way to his soapboxes.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Alternate location for dicks, to be more cinema-friendly: chest
* Ben's Gripe: size of the piranha
* "I love a French carnival!" -- Ben Hosley
* Box Office Game (November 1981) appears in Oops! All Box Office.

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Piranha II: The Spawning. Audioboom. Retrieved on October 3, 2022.
Slumdog Millionaire

**Slumdog Millionaire** is episode 418 focusing on the 2008 film of the same name as part of Trainspodcasting miniseries on the films of Danny Boyle. Posted March 26, 2023.

## Summary

> Danny Boyle is about to win the Oscar. How did he do it? A) He Cheated, B) He’s Lucky, C) He’s a Genius, D) IT IS WRITTEN. Critic Siddhant Adlakha joins us to dissect the improbable success of Boyle’s 2008 Dickens-by-way-of-Mumbai hit SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. We’re getting into everything, from the film’s reputation in India to the 2009 Oscar ceremony with Hugh Jackman, from UK teen TV sensation “Skins” to the unexpected success of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in primetime. Jai Ho!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office game: Weekend of November 14, 2008

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. Slumdog Millionaire. Audioboom. Retrieved on March 26, 2023.
Talking the Walk 2021: Ranking the Walks

**Talking the Walk 2021: Ranking the Walks** is episode 118 of Blank Check: Special Features and their yearly installment of the Talking the Walk feature. Posted December 11, 2021.

## Summary

>
> J.D. Amato returns for Blank Check's annual Talking the Walk ep! For our 2021 edition, the gang is ranking the best walks in film history. What cinematic walks come to mind? Which characters had the coolest walks? What are the best walking movies? Join this 3 hour marathon and find out what makes the top 10!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* New nickname for David: The Spreadmaster
* A Blankie made a letterboxd list of all the films referenced in this ep.
* The reddit thread also has a lot of good discussion about walks they missed.

## The Walks

To make the list, #thetwofriends, Ben, and JD each introduced movies that David (the Spreadmaster) added to a spreadsheet. To advance to the final round and ranking, a film had to get unanimous approval from the group. David read the list and everyone would raise their hands to vote for a walk.

**The Top 10 walks**

The walks had to be *specific* walks within a film. If the movie was about walking, those movies often got punted to the top walking movies category.

1. Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory (1895) - The Whole Movie
2. Saturday Night Fever (1977) - Opening
3. Shaft (1971) - Opening
4. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) - Can't Find Stage
5. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) - Wonka's Entrance
6. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) - End Credits
7. The Dark Knight (2008) - Joker Walking Away From Hospital
8. Nostalghia (1983) - Ending
9. Armageddon (1998) - Slow Motion Walk
10. The Breakfast Club (1985) - Ending / Being There (1979) - Ending

**The Top 5 Walking Movies**

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-3)
2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
3. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
4. The Before Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013)
5. The Warriors (1979)

**The Top 5 Movie Walkers**

1. Charlie Chaplin
2. Jacques Tati
3. Pam Grier
4. Bruce Lee
5. Arnold Schwarzenegger

## Merchandise Spotlight

As with all the Talking the Walk episodes, there is a special piece of tie-in merchandise. This year it is a purple and white spatula called "The Spreadmaster" in honor of David's new nickname and role as purveyor of all Blank Check spreadsheets.

## References

1. ↑ Talking the Walk 2021: Ranking the Walks on Patreon. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
The Iron Giant

**The Iron Giant** is episode 163 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the The Podcastibles miniseries covering the films of Brad Bird. Posted 13 May 2018.

## Summary

>
> This week Blank Check begins a new mini series reviewing the filmography of director Brad Bird with a discussion of 1999’s critically acclaimed animated feature, *The Iron Giant*. But does the Iron Giant wear a shirt? Did the studio request this movie be set in present day and have a hip hop soundtrack? Should Griffin and David fight more? Together, in their worst episode ever, they examine Brad Bird’s origin story, the hotness of Harry Connick Jr. as beatnik industrial artist Dean McCoppin, the upcoming Blank Check Pictures slate and booger stores.
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It's the first entry in a new miniseries! And that includes all the context these connoisseurs can bring to bear, including some good animation nuts and bolts from Griffin.

Brad Bird's career development is fascinating, and how his own personal life intersected with his pitch for this story is both eye-opening and tragic. Not to mention the background on how this movie even got made by its studio.... the yo-yo story of how it almost got shelved then suddenly fast-tracked.... and informed speculation on how Bird was able to make this film the way he wanted without much second-guessing or interference from the folks writing the checks.

Why did David want to see this movie so much when it came out? (Hint: it is perhaps connected to where he grew up.)

Why was Griffin so excited to see it? (Hint: it is perhaps connected to Hollywood animation industry stuff, and possibly a particular voice actor too.)

What does Ben think about the size of the robot?

### Milestones and Ephemera

* "This is our worst episode ever." C'mon now.
* The **Blank Check Pictures** slate is really getting filled out with some exciting projects
* Burger Report: Kerr Smith eating a burger in WeHo.
* Box Office Game: Weekend of August 6, 1999. The same game as The Sixth Sense. Still in theaters: The Phantom Menace, Eyes Wide Shut, The Matrix, The Mummy
* In the Spreadmaster's Delight episode, Griffin and David nominated it for Best Adapted Screenplay 1999.

### Sponsors

* Brooklinen
* Hims

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Iron Giant. Audioboom. Retrieved on May 12, 2022.
The Batman Commentary

**The Batman** (also known as **Thee Batman**) is episode 144 of Blank Check: Special Features focusing on the 2022 feature film of the same name. Posted August 1, 2022.

## Summary

>
> Marie Bardi joins BC:SF for the conclusion of our #NotAllBatMen commentary series with 2022’s The Batman. Topics include: the runtime, the length of the movie, why 3 hours is way too long and more!
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> **Movie starts at...1:58**
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Griffin gave Ben a copy of The Dark Knight Returns for his birthday. In Marie's words: "You gave Ben homework??"
* A first time watch for Ben!
* ‘Why Is Everyone Wearing Suits?’: #GentleMinions Has Moviegoers Dressing Up
* Ben's proposed new ratings: NC-45, 23 ONLY.
* Griff & Marie's most anticipated movie of the summer: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.
* Paul Dano on WTF, Zoe Kazan on WTF
* More talk about the secret bathroom at the Lincoln Square IMAX! David's favorite spot!
* A blankie figured out the rate of the money/time query: Ben would get $55,555 a minute for 3 hours.
* Box Office Game: Weekend of March 4, 2022
* Paul Dano was nominated by Griffin for Best Supporting Actor at The Eighth Annual Blank Check Awards.

## Quotes

>
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> | Ben: |  Nothing should be this long.
> | Griffin: |  Nothing.
> | Ben: |  Period.
> | David: |  What about *tantric sex*?!
> | Ben: |  Nope, too long.
> | David: |  What about-- what if someone said, "I will give you $10 million, but it's gonna take me 3 hours to give it to you." You're like *too long*!!
> | Ben: | Wait, what are we doing for three hours??
> | David: |  He's slowly handing you the money.
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## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Batman. Patreon. Retrieved on August 1, 2022.
2. ↑ Claire Fahy and McKenna Oxenden. ‘Why Is Everyone Wearing Suits?’: #GentleMinions Has Moviegoers Dressing Up. New York Times. Retrieved on August 4, 2022.
3. ↑ Hayley Brown. Patreon comment. Retrieved on August 4, 2022.
4. ↑ @ 02:32:55
The Happening

**The Happening** is episode 47 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the Pod Night Shyamacast miniseries covering the filmography of M. Night Shyamalan.

## Summary

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> This week, Griffin and David discuss M. Night’s first ever R rated film, 2008’s The Happening. But is wind scary? Are any of the actors convincing they haven’t completely checked out? Why am I talking to a plastic plant? Together, #TheTwoFriends examine 9/11 imagery, why Kung Fu Panda is a better movie, impressions of nerds, and why Shyamalan calling this the “best B-movie you will ever see” is preposterous. Plus, the Departed sequel scoops and not seeing Hamilton.
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box-Office Game: Weekend of June 13, 2008
	+ Same BOG as The Incredible Hulk.
* James Urbaniak was the announced guest for this episode but did not make his first appearance until 2,617 days later with Sherlock Jr./The Navigator.
The Heartbreak Kid

**The Heartbreak Kid** is episode 319 focusing on the 1972 film of the same name as part of The Podbreak Cast miniseries on the films of Elaine May. Posted April 11, 2021.

## Summary

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> Writer and comedian Avery Edison joins this week to discuss 1972’s *The Heartbreak Kid*! Topics include: how May’s directing elevated the Neil Simon screenplay, the performances from Cybill Shepherd, Jeannie Berlin, Charles Grodin, the delightful cringe of the comedy, and more!
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> Check out Avery's scripted podcast Swings And Roundabouts!
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### Milestones and Ephemera

* Box office game: December 1971, featured in Oops! All Box Office

## References

1. ↑ Blank Check Podcast. The Heartbreak Kid with Avery Edison. Audioboom. Retrieved on April 11, 2021.
Roger Moore Bonds

**Roger Moore Bonds** (also known as **Gimme Moore** and simply **Moore Bonds**) is a commentary miniseries as part of the Blank Check: Special Features covering Roger Moore's run as James Bond.

## Summary

The winning Special Features March Madness 2022 franchise! Gadgets! Gals! Puns! Arguably both the high and low points of James Bond in different respects.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Won in the final of March Madness by just 2 votes!
* The Brosnan run of films was covered in Pierce Brosnan Bonds

## Ranking The Franchise

At the conclusion of the miniseries, the Blankies rankings will compiled from a voting thread found on the r/Blankies sub-reddit.
Podinator: Judgment Cast

**Podinator: Judgment Cast** (sometimes called **Podinator 2: Judgment Cast**) is a miniseries on the films and inspired-by works of James Cameron, owner of possibly the most-renewed blank check ever.

## Summary

James Cameron makes blockbusters. Once he got his first blank check, with one slight exception his projects just continuously get bigger and more successful. And as the king of the studio pitch, he just keeps convincing people to finance those ever-expanding budgets - and he pretty much always delivers.

Griffin and David ask, how does he do it? How did he go from a Canadian truck driver in the 70's to being in charge of the most expensive movies ever made? If films are in some fashion about their directors, how does Cameron's life reflect on what we see on screen through the years? And we know Soakin' Wet Benny likes wet movies, but is there a point where even he is like, 'enough's enough?'

This miniseries was voted into being by Blankies on Twitter. #TheTwoFriends decided to cover another Cameron first, but eventually got back to Jimmy C. on a delay.

This miniseries was preceded by the We Pod A Cast miniseries on the films of Cameron Crowe. It was followed by the Pod Me If You Cast miniseries, on the films of Steven Spielberg in his DreamWorks era.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* Ben nickname: **Aliben$**, pronounced "Alie-Bens with a dollar sign."

## Ranking His Filmography

* Griffin and David share their rankings at the end of the **Avatar** episode.
* The Blankies rankings were compiled from the Reddit voting thread found on the r/Blankies sub-reddit, and tabulated by a mysterious wiki editor whom some say has too much time on their hands.
The Dark Knight Rises

**The Dark Knight Rises** is episode 121 focusing on the movie of the same name, as part of the The Pod Knight Casts miniseries covering the filmography of Christopher Nolan.

## Summary

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> Griffin and David complete Nolan’s Batman Trilogy with a discussion of 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. But is it true the director’s brother and frequent collaborator, Jonathan Nolan, presented Christopher with a 400 page script? Were there any other rumors not about Killer Croc? Have we started the fire? Together they examine the different Catwoman performances, Nolan’s Howard Hughes script getting Scor-cheesed, the squints of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the Mooch and agree that crime should stay illegal.
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Stealth McQuarrie Miniseries

**Stealth McQuarrie Miniseries** is an unofficial miniseries on the films of Christopher McQuarrie.

## Summary

The Mission: Impossible franchise won the Special Features March Madness 2020 tournament, the last two of which McQuarrie made. During this period, The Way of the Gun, the first film that McQuarrie directed, was also covered.

The first Jack Reacher film, which McQuarrie made, was covered in the first part of the episode for the second Jack Reacher film (which McQuarrie produced) in 2016.

### Milestones and Ephemera

* A notable feature of this miniseries is Griffin's inability to correctly pronounce McQuarrie. In the final episode, Mission: Impossible - Fallout Commentary, he finally resigns himself to calling him McQ.
Shirley Li

Having some fun discussing the Marvel movies for EW

**Shirley Li** (on Twitter @shirklesxp) is a Staff Writer at *Entertainment Weekly*, covering movies and television. She has also written at *Wired* and for *The Atlantic*.

## Biography

During her time at *The Atlantic* she of course worked with David Sims who nicknamed her the human Pikachu. When they were coworkers, she had a propensity to make jokes so bad she would follow them up with the leaves emoji. She had been based in NYC but immediately after appearing on Blank Check for the first time, she moved out to La-La-Land.

Shirley was a featured guest on the Sense and Sensibility episode of Blank Check, when she and #TheTwoFriends discussed Ang Lee's first English-language film and its amazingly prolonged writing & development process. Bless her, she fit right in with the show's dynamic and she earned several distributions of comedy points for various asides.

Her uncles Ang and Spike are so proud of her.

Shirley made an unlisted guest phoner into the Wendell & Wild episode to corroborate David's long awaited AirBnB story.

🍃
Special Features March Madness

Current Season Bracket

## Seasons

2020 • 2021 • 2022 • 2023

**Special Features March Madness** is an annual NCAA style bracket tournament, and a companion to the main feed March Madness. Starting in 2020, the tournament has determined a fan-selected franchise #TheTwoFriends would cover on Patreon.

## Summary

Beginning in 2020 after the first full year of the Patreon, a corresponding tournament was launched to determine a franchise that would be covered as a commentary series. As with the main bracket, losing franchises still often get covered. Participation in tournament voting has increased over the years, but not at the same rate as with the main bracket. As of 2022, the tournament will remain on Patreon as it did not experience the same controversy as the twitter polls.

### March Madness Rules

* Polls post on Patreon at or around the same time each day, generally about 1 hour after the main feed poll is posted.
* Polls are open for 24 hours, new poll daily from 3/1 through 3/31
* Winner = covered at the next available opportunity!
* Loser ≠ they never cover them

## Special Features March Madness Episodes

*Main article: March Madness#March Madness Episodes*
Since 2020 discussion of the Patreon bracket has been included in most March Madness episodes. They have yet to dedicate an entire episode just to the Patreon.

## Franchise Statistics

A trophy (🏆) indicates the bracket winner. A white/blue check mark (☑️) indicates they were included in that year's bracket. An 8 (8️⃣) indicates they advanced to the Elite Eight, a 4 (4️⃣) indicates a Final Four appearance, and a 2 (2️⃣) indicates they lost in the Finals. A gray square and a green check mark (✅) both indicate they were covered on the podcast and therefore ineligible for the bracket.
Slow Xmas

**Slow Xmas** (also known as **Slow Xmas 2021**) is a holiday vaporwave compilation album released by Ben Hosley on December 18, 2021.

## Background

The album was released on December 18, 2021 on bandcamp.  The first slow christmas album was primarily works of editing, where the follow up contains a majority of slowly played covers.

### Contributors

* Ian Ferguson: Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Website

## References

1. ↑ Slow Xmas on Bandcamp. Retrieved December 20, 2021.